In a lopsided international rugby tour match played in wet, slippery conditions in Durban on Tuesday, New Zealand’s national men’s side the All Blacks secured a dominant 54-0 victory over the South African Sharks, but the talking point of the fixture centered on a heartfelt cultural gesture from a former All Blacks legend rather than the final scoreline.
Forty-four-year-old Ma’a Nonu, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner with New Zealand who joined the Sharks just last month in a player-mentor role, stepped forward to deliver a solo response haka after the All Blacks completed their traditional pre-match haka. In post-match comments to reporters, All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie revealed that his camp was fully aware of Nonu’s plan before kickoff, after the veteran center reached out directly to New Zealand’s defensive coach Tana Umaga to clarify the respectful, appropriate way to carry out his response.
Nonu’s unexpected appearance on the match day squad came amid a wave of call-ups to the South African Springboks national side and multiple injury crises for the Sharks, leading Sharks coach JP Pietersen to name the veteran as a substitute. Nonu entered the game off the bench in the 62nd minute, when the Sharks already trailed 35-0, and played nearly 20 minutes in the one-sided contest.
Speaking to SuperSport TV after the match, Nonu framed the gesture as a tribute to the team he spent nearly 100 caps playing for. “It was such a privilege and an honour, to do the Haka, showing my respect on behalf of my family to the team I love,” he said. “It was great to see the New Zealand boys. The All Blacks opened up in the last 30 minutes and I was chasing my tail. Credit to them, they are improving, and all the best to the brothers for the next game.”
Pietersen praised Nonu’s impact on the Sharks squad both on and off the pitch, noting that the veteran has become a key resource for young backs developing their game. “Ma’a has been good for the guys, especially the backs. He is a great addition off the field, helping the youngsters prepare, warm up and get their mindset right,” Pietersen said, adding that Nonu had felt nervous about performing the solo haka before the match.
Beyond the viral cultural moment, the result marked the second consecutive win for the All Blacks on their South African tour, which kicked off last Friday. The All Blacks crossed for eight tries total in the cold, wet conditions, with play slowed early on by a string of New Zealand penalties that allowed the Sharks to control possession for the opening stages of the match. Rennie commended his side’s second-half adjustment, which saw the team improve its discipline and use tactical kicking to open up space in the Sharks defense.
“Conditions made it challenging to shift a lot of ball, but it was a really solid defensive effort,” Rennie said. “The last 40 minutes were very positive. I thought we kicked really well, our kicks in the central area of the field found a lot of space. Our option taking was pretty good. We gave away a lot of early penalties, so we struggled to get our hands on the ball. In the second half we were a lot more clinical and kicked really well. The response after our chat at half-time was good to see, because every penalty we concede is a chance for the opposition to slow the game down.”
New Zealand inside centre Jordie Barrett, who earned man of the match honors after scoring one try and creating several more with pinpoint cross-field kicks, echoed Rennie’s assessment of the win. “It was a pretty greasy surface and there was lots of water underfoot. So we are pretty proud that we backed our skills and got ascendancy after a tight first half,” Barrett said. “We need to tidy up our discipline and we let the Sharks into our 22 in the first 10 minutes. So the second half was about minimising those entries.”