Ma’a Nonu, 44 years old and a veteran of 104 All Blacks caps, took the field for the Sharks in Durban on Tuesday when the team faced New Zealand in a tour match that ended 54-0 in wet conditions. The occasion produced something South African rugby had never seen: a solo haka performed in response to New Zealand’s traditional pre-match challenge.
Nonu’s involvement came together quickly. The Sharks signed him a week before the fixture to help develop younger players, but mounting injuries pushed him onto the bench. His initial reluctance was genuine. He worried his presence might overshadow what was the Sharks’ first match against New Zealand in three decades. He agreed anyway.
“I thought it would be rude to say no,” Nonu told broadcaster SuperSport. “I thought I would put the boots on and try to help the team really.”
The decision to answer the haka followed conversations on Monday with New Zealand assistant coaches Tana Umaga and Tamati Ellison. For Nonu, who represented New Zealand from 2003 to 2015, the gesture carried personal and collective meaning. “Out of respect for our team and on behalf of myself and my family, I thought it was the right thing to do, to answer the boys and the All Blacks,” he said.
What unfolded after the national anthems became the defining image of the match. As the All Blacks performed their haka, Nonu stepped forward alone, the Sharks lined up behind him and the All Blacks positioned across the halfway line. He performed Kapa o Pango, the All Blacks’ own haka, to a crowd that started quiet and grew increasingly vocal. No South African rugby team had ever answered the haka with one of their own before that Tuesday in Durban.
After the performance, Nonu exchanged nods with the All Blacks players. Only two members of his final New Zealand squad, Codie Taylor and Beauden Barrett, remain in the current side. “It was such a privilege and an honor, and to do the haka, showing my respect on behalf of my family to the team I love,” he said.
He entered the match with roughly 15 minutes remaining. His first involvement was immediate: a collision with All Blacks flyhalf Ruben Love, a player who was two years old when Nonu made his New Zealand debut. Despite the scoreline, he reflected positively on the return. “I got 20 minutes. I tried my best. It was great to see the boys,” he said. “The All Blacks opened up in the last 30 minutes and I was chasing my tail. Credit to them, they’re improving, and all the best to the brothers for the next game.”
The Sharks’ decision to bring Nonu in, even hastily and under difficult squad circumstances, reflected a clear calculation about what a veteran of his standing could offer against one of rugby’s most formidable opponents. At 44, still capable of absorbing contact from players young enough to be his children, the question his Durban appearance leaves open is a simple one: how much longer does he intend to keep answering the call?
More details are available at https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/12/maa-nonu-haka-vs-all-blacks-sharks-rugby-south-africa.