Nonu to play 150th Super Rugby match on Friday

Wellington Lions, Hurricanes and All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu is set to become the fourth player to reach 150 Super Rugby appearances when he takes the field this Friday night for the Hurricanes against the Stormers.

The most capped player in professional rugby from his neck of the woods and one of the most successful players to come out of Wellington in the 20 years of professional rugby, Nonu will join Keven Mealamu, Nathan Sharpe and Corey Flynn as players to have played 150 Super Rugby matches.

Although he has played for three franchises, most of Nonu’s career has been with the Hurricanes (2003-2011 and 2015), and he reached a century of appearances for the Hurricanes in 2011. Friday’s match will be his 116th appearance for the Hurricanes. He played for the Blues in 2012 and 2014 and the Highlanders in 2013.

Nonu has played variously at centre and on both wings. But it is at second five-eighth where he has stamped his mark in recent years, making 59 of his 111 starts for the Hurricanes there. So to match his jersey number, here are 12 highlights of his career so far:

• In 2002 a then 19-year old Ma’a Nonu announced his arrival in Wellington’s Premier club rugby competition with a series of dynamic and powerful performances in the midfield for his club Oriental-Rongotai. Combining with then No. 8 Roy Kinikinilau, later a wing and a Wellington and Hurricanes teammate, the pair scored 22 tries between them and Ories challenged for the first round Swindale Shield title.

• After previously playing for the Wellington Colts, Nonu was selected for the Wellington Lions in 2002 and made an immediate impact on the national stage, with comparisons quickly drawn between himself and Tana Umaga.

• Nonu was picked for the Hurricanes in 2003 for the first time, immediately setting Super Rugby alight and forming a formidable partnership in the midfield with Umaga. He made his debut against the Crusaders on 22 February 2003, scoring a try in that match and six tries in the season as the Hurricanes made the Super Rugby playoffs for the second time.

• Nonu made his Test debut for the All Blacks at home in Wellington against England in June 2003, in a 13-15 loss. Nonu played at centre in a Test where England lost two players to yellow cards but hung on grimly for victory. He made his World Cup debut later that year, playing against Canada and Tonga. He played Tests in Europe against Italy, Wales and France in 2004.

• In 2005, Nonu found a new temporary home for himself for the Hurricanes on the left wing, scoring seven tries as the Hurricanes reached the semi-finals again. Captaining the Wellington Lions in the early rounds, he scored another seven tries in the 2005 NPC. He played every match in 2005 for both the Hurricanes and the Lions.

• In 2006 he started for the Hurricanes in every match as they reached the Super Rugby final for the first time, missing out 12-19 in the infamous fog final in Christchurch. Later that year he was part of the All Blacks side that smashed England 41-20 at Twickenham, France 47-3 at Lyon and Wales 45-10 at Cardiff.

• After being left out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup squad, Nonu bounced back with a vintage year in 2008. He started in 13 matches for the Hurricanes, roaming between second five-eighth and wing. He played 15 Tests for the All Blacks in 2008, as the Wellington Lions won the Ranfurly Shield for the first time since 1981.

• Nonu had arguably his best season in Hurricanes colours in 2009, seemingly breaking the line at will and ending that year as the competition’s leading try scorer with nine tries. After a relatively quiet start to 2009, Nonu exploded on to the competition stage with several match winning efforts and forming a solid midfield partnership with centre Conrad Smith.

• 2010 was also massive for Nonu. Amongst many highlights, his sixth try of the season against the Chiefs in round 12 brought up his 40th career try and 200th career point, one of seven Hurricanes to surpass that milestone. Only Christian Cullen (56 tries in 85 games) and Tana Umaga (47 in 122 games) have scored more tries for the franchise. He also played his 50th Test for the All Blacks in 2010, against Australia in the Bledisloe Cup in August.

• Nonu ended his first tenure with the Hurricanes in 2011 with 110 caps under his engine. Whilst he was busy preparing for bigger things, namely winning the Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks, his Ories club won Wellington club rugby’s championship for the first since 1910. Nonu got his hands on both the William Webb Ellis and Jubilee Cups in the space of a few months.

• Following the Rugby World Cup win, Nonu went away and played for other teams. He joined the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan, playing 12 matches and scoring six tries. He earned 25 Super Rugby caps for the Blues in 2012 and 2014 and nine for the Highlanders in 2013.

• Nonu enters his 150th Super Rugby match needing two tries to reach 50 career tries – which would be a strike rate of one every third appearance. Only six players – Doug Howlett (59), Caleb Ralph (58), Joe Roff (57), Christian Cullen (56), Bryan Habana (56) and Stirling Mortlock (56) – have broken the half-century. The only active players with 30 or more career tries are Nonu (48), Hosea Gear (39), Daniel Carter (35), JP Pietersen (34), Akona Ndungane (33), Lachie Turner (30), Odwa Ndungane (30) and Bjorn Basson (30).