In one of the more unlikely twists in rugby history, New Zealand legend Ma’a Nonu has been named to square off with the All Blacks in his Sharks debut next week.
The midweek fixture is the second of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, and will pit one of New Zealand’s all-time greats against the team he played 103 Tests for and won two Rugby World Cups with, as Nonu enters his 25th season as a professional rugby player.
The remarkable story comes just days after Nonu joined the club in person, having signed in a “high-performance mentorship” capacity in late July. The 44-year-old will come off the bench, with Murray Koster named to start at inside centre and rising star Jurenzo Julius in the No.13 jersey.
Elsewhere in the team, newly capped flyhalf Vusi Mayo has been named to lead the team at 10 and 18-year-old sensation Zekhethelo Siyaya is set to start at fullback.
Nick Hatton will captain a team with a distinctly next-generation edge to it, looking to create a slice of history after the Stormers ran the New Zealand team close in the tour’s opening match in Cape Town.
Following that match, All Blacks captain Patrick Tuipulotu was asked for his reaction to Nonu being selected in the Sharks’ team.
Tuipulotu says he did not expect Nonu to be named, but is certainly looking forward to it.
He says a lot of the boys know him and are close to him, as it is no secret how long Nonu’s played; his career’s been this long because he is a true professional of the game, and he has been blessed to keep playing.
The All Blacks take on the Sharks at 5am next Wednesday.
Source: rugbypass.com
