All Blacks: Sulk or swim as Nonu's hopes flounder

Ma'a Nonu. Photo / Getty Images

There is a danger now that the destructive power of Ma'a Nonu is felt mostly keenly by his own team-mates.

From being hailed as world class and vital to the All Black cause earlier in the year, Nonu is suddenly no longer in possession of his treasured No 12 shirt and the drop in status is a tough one to swallow.

Understandably, Nonu was not cock-a-hoop at his non-selection for the Scotland and Wales tests. For all that he has pledged to help Sonny Bill Williams settle into the All Blacks, Nonu's generosity does not stretch so far as to indefinitely lend his rival the No12 test jersey.

To go from guaranteed starter to bench player in the space of 10 weeks has left Nonu with a major test of character. Can he respond in the right way? Can he channel his hurt at his demotion and storm back with a massive Super 15?

The Nonu of old, the one who failed to crack the 2007 World Cup squad, was known to be a brooder. He was known to sulk if things did not go his way.

His rise to All Black regular and world-class status had much to do with his improved maturity and attitude.

He could have headed off to the NRL or Europe in 2008, disconsolate and broken by his failure to play at the World Cup. Instead, he decided to knuckle down, give it one more crack and prove the coaches wrong.

That burning desire to win back his place is precisely what head coach Graham Henry wants to see again from Nonu.

"What I would like to see next year is both those players [Nonu and Williams] playing at a level they haven't played at before because of the competition," says Henry. "I think that brings the best out of people and I hope it will do that with these two guys."

The message from Henry is clear - that the soft period of fulfilling pre-determined tour objectives is over. The team who played Wales this morning was a reward team. It was picked on form and with only four tests left until the World Cup, that's the way it is going to be for the next 12 months.

Williams and Nonu are now in a direct competition where the man who delivers will be selected. Right now, as Henry confirmed, Williams is ahead.

"Conrad has played exceptionally well at centre and nobody else has really played there, to be frank," said Henry in explaining their midfield combination for this morning.

"Sonny played there against England but he's better at 12, we think. He's suited to 12, he's more comfortable there. There is probably not a lot of competition at 13 right now. So that was a foregone conclusion, so really it was competition between the two 12s and who played better.

"And Sonny played particularly well against Scotland. He was creative and we scored a couple of tries off his passing and that was the difference."

The challenge now for Nonu is to keep his head in the right space. If he can't sustain the right attitude at training or becomes a disruptive influence because he's not starting, then he'll become baggage the All Blacks can't carry.

It's apparent the All Black management team are not going to mollycoddle him. They are aware of the hurt he'll be feeling but they need him to respond with big performances, not big tantrums.