All Blacks brace for 44-year-old Ma’a Nonu following Billy Proctor injury scare

Coach Dave Rennie may potentially have a closer look at All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu after centre Billy Proctor suffered a potentially serious shoulder injury against the Stormers in the Greatest Rivalry tour opener on Friday night.

Jokes aside, Nonu, 44, whose All Blacks career closed in style with a try in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, was officially named on the Sharks’ bench to face his former team in the second tour match at Kings Park on Tuesday.

Proctor, meanwhile, is awaiting a diagnosis after being cleaned out at ruck time, and it’s safe to assume he will not be running out in Durban in a few days’ time.

“We’re not sure — potentially Billy Proctor. He was trying to jackal for a ball and got a cleanout. It looks like it may be a shoulder injury; I’m not sure, but there are a few bumps and bruises,” Rennie said when asked if any players picked up serious injuries in the scratchy 38-21 victory over the Stormers.

Meanwhile, the prospect of facing Nonu, who was primarily signed by the Sharks as a player mentor to guide their young backline, has certainly attracted the interest of the All Blacks.

“I didn’t expect him to be named, but I’m looking forward to it,” All Blacks stand-in skipper Pat Tuipulotu said. “A lot of the boys are close to him, so it’s no secret how long he’s played.

“His career’s been this long because he’s a true professional, and he’s blessed to keep playing. It’ll be quite a spectacle to see him come up against us, and we’ll certainly look forward to that.

“Might catch up with him midweek and give him a jab or two…”

Fan energy is building! IOL Sport’s Zaahier Adams hit the streets of Cape Town to soak up the buzz ahead of the DHL Stormers’ historic first-ever clash with the All Blacks at DHL Stadium tonight, kick-off 19:00. #rugby #sports #Stormers #AllBlacks pic.twitter.com/1uYTjb2fE7

— IOL Sport (@IOLsport) August 7, 2026

Rennie also confirmed that the 23-player match-day squad to face the Sharks will bear little resemblance to the men who ran out against the Stormers.

“There’ll be a handful of guys tonight who will back up, but there’ll be an enormous number of changes,” the Kiwi added. “Likewise when we play the Bulls four days later.

“It’s exciting. We wanted to be flawless tonight, and we know we can be a lot better, and we’ve only got to wait four days to get another crack at it.

“I’m excited about the games that are coming up, and it will give us a pretty good indication of what our lineup will be for that first Test.”