Ma’a Nonu is giving the Sharks’ next generation an early-morning masterclass in what it takes to make it at the highest level of rugby.
The All Blacks legend has embraced his new mentorship role in Durban, meeting some of the Sharks’ brightest young backs at 6.30am for gym sessions, skills work and rugby chats — and coach JP Pietersen says his influence is already being felt.
The 103-Test centre was recently brought into the Sharks’ high-performance programme as a mentor and has wasted no time getting stuck into the club’s emerging backs.
In fact, Nonu has formed his own early-morning “club” with a group of the Sharks’ young talents.
“Ma’a has slotted in perfectly,” Pietersen said on Thursday.
“It’s great to have him. I’m obviously mates with him going back to our playing days in Super Rugby, so it’s good to have him, and he can also give me feedback on my side too.
“They’ve got a club now. They meet every morning at 6:30am in the gym – Ma’a and Jurenzo Julius, Murray Koster and Litelihle Bester, amongst others.
“They’re in the gym, they do some skills and passing and just talk about rugby.”
For Pietersen, however, Nonu’s vast knowledge and experience of the game could prove particularly valuable.
“He’s been good in that space. He’s helping the young guns a lot with attacking space, understanding space, and the most important thing is preparation,” Pietersen said.
“How do you prepare before you arrive at the stadium? Are you coming with a plan, or if you don’t have a plan?”
That attention to detail is exactly what Pietersen believes can accelerate the development of the Sharks’ promising young backs.
“He’s challenging them around being professional. Something that’s still a learning for most of us,” he said.
“It’s been awesome. He’s been good to them, and I’m just thankful that we’ve got him at this stage of his career.
“Hopefully, it can rub off onto these young guns so it speeds up the process of them becoming established rugby players.”
Among those soaking up Nonu’s knowledge are Junior Boks Jaco Williams, flyhalf Vusi Moyo, wing Donovan Don and fullback Luan Giliomee.
For players still finding their feet in professional rugby, having access to someone with Nonu’s pedigree is a significant opportunity.
Nonu enjoyed a stellar career for New Zealand between 2003 and 2015, winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015. He also made 126 Super Rugby appearances for the Hurricanes, as well as playing for the Blues and Highlanders.
He finished his playing career with Toulon, where he earned 100 caps.
Nonu will still lace up the boots occasionally — as he famously did when he turned out for the Sharks against the All Blacks during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry fixture, complete with his memorable response to the haka.
But his biggest contribution to the Sharks will be behind the scenes.
