Rugby: Nonu set for final stand

Ma'a Nonu will be playing his last game for the Hurricanes. Photo / Getty

Ma'a Nonu's return to the Hurricanes was engineered over a cup of coffee last year.

Incoming coach Chris Boyd met the midfielder in Auckland last June and didn't arrive with an agenda, they merely had a chat.

Nonu was in his third season of exile from the Hurricanes after being moved on by former coach Mark Hammett at the end of the 2011.

The 33-year-old needed a home in 2015 for what would likely be his final year in New Zealand as the World Cup looms as his international swansong before he heads offshore.

Nonu is from Wellington and made more than 100 appearances for the Hurricanes from 2003-2011 and never settled elsewhere as he jumped between the Blues and the Highlanders.

Boyd had worked with Nonu in other teams previously and there was also the lure of reuniting with Conrad Smith in the midfield for another campaign.

"I still reflect back," Boyd said. "I met Ma'a at The Heritage in Auckland when I was up there with the New Zealand [Under]-20s and we still haven't had a conversation about our expectations of each other. It was just an understanding.

"He knew what he had to bring and I knew what I had to give him and it's great having him back and you can see that he's happy and loves going about his work and we'd like to send him off in the right way."

That send-off will come tomorrow night when the Hurricanes host the Highlanders in the Super Rugby final at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Nonu has played 159 games of Super Rugby and only one of them has been a final. He was on the losing side when the Hurricanes went down 19-12 to the Crusaders in 2006.

Boyd said there was a lot less maintenance required to coach Nonu in 2015 compared to a decade ago.

"He's matured in to a really complete individual, in my mind. He's got a great understanding of the 12 role."

Then there's the numbers. This year, in 15 appearances, Nonu has made 15 clean breaks, beaten 40 defenders, produced 20 offloads and laid on three tries for players around him. He's also scored four tries.

His distribution continues to improve, while he has been at the heart of an improved defence for the Hurricanes.

Fairytale finishes happen in sport but they're not a given and a loyal New Zealand rugby servant like Nonu is a player who deserves to go out on a high.
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Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree said the side had made a point of celebrating the long-standing combination of Nonu and Smith who made their 50th appearance in Super Rugby as a midfield duo this season.

"That combination of Ma'a and Conrad's world class and we might not see another one for a long time, so we can't take it for granted," Plumtree said.

"I think Ma'a's loved coming back and Conrad's enjoyed playing alongside him and it's been great to see them together again like that because you're not going to see it anymore."