Ma'a Nonu powers the Blues to victory
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In a game that included many milestones, it was Ma'a Nonu who was the pick of the players against the Waratahs. Israel Folau became the all-time top try scorer in Super Rugby history and Bernard Foley crossed over the 1000-point mark, the 6th Super Rugby player to do so. He joined a list that inluded Dan Carter, Morne Steyn and Elton Jantjies.
While there was no such milestone for Nonu, it was his fight for a World Cup spot that brought the Blues to a narrow 32 - 29 victory. We take a look at how he performed tonight, playing himself into the World Cup Squad. With 166 days till the 2019 World Cup, time is running out for many to make their statement and the 36-year-old veteran will feel like he has done enough this far. However, he faces stiff competition with the likes of Ryan Crotty, Anton Lienert-Brown, fellow Blues teammate Sonny Bill Wiliams and the bulky powerful Ngani Laumape.
Ma'a Nonu still has pace 👊#BLUvWAR pic.twitter.com/1pcOfpuiH0
— Super Rugby (@SuperRugbyNZ) April 6, 2019
Nevertheless, the one quality that he will bring to any team without a doubt is his experience which will give him the competitive edge. When looking at players with over 100 test caps, Ma'a Nonu's 104 games will appear on that list and that is an experience you simply cannot ignore. And Steve Hansen cannot ignore his performances as of late.
Ma'a Nonu vs. the @NSWWaratahs 📊
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) April 6, 2019
0⃣5⃣ Carries 👊
0⃣2⃣ Defenders Beaten 🔥
0⃣1⃣ Clean Break 💨
4⃣9⃣ Running Metres 🏃♂️
0⃣2⃣ Try Assists 🅰️
0⃣1⃣ Try 🏉
Age is just a number 🔢 pic.twitter.com/NKnduLHB47
Playing against a centre pairing that included another experienced man in Adam Ashley-Cooper the second five-eighth showed his dominance. Not only was he influential with his running lines on attack but it was his defence that led to his try. With the Waratahs trailing by 8, Foley looked to play Folau on the loop, yhe pressure applied by Nonu led to Folau making a poor pass that fell to Ricko Ioane and with one man to beat Ioane committed the defender and popped to his senior who raced through for his sides bonus point try. Like fine wine the man with a 106KG frame keeps getting better.
And if Steve Hansen were to pick the Wellington born, not only will he get some bruising runs on attack and dominant defensive hits. But he will also add some much needed to calmness and leadership to the New Zealand midfield, a trait that they have at times found missing when under pressure.
