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Zane Nonggorr has been learning on the run ever since making his Super Rugby debut in 2020. But now that he’s at the World Cup, the 22-year-old is intent on making his mark.
Dubbed “Baby Thor” coming out of The Southport School, Nonggorr was finding his feet in the Queensland Reds when he was thrown in the deep this year.
Taniela Tupou’s Achilles rupture at Lansdowne Road last November meant the training wheels were taken off ahead of this year’s Super Rugby season.
It led to Nonggorr going from fringe tight-head prop to one of the Reds’ main acts in rugby’s toughest position.
Very early on though, he caught Eddie Jones’ eye as the Reds took on the Waratahs in the country in a pre-season trial match.
Before Jones had barely had time to get his feet under the desk and scroll through the tape, the incoming Wallabies coach was on deck in Narrabri when he laid eyes on Nonggorr and began asking questions about who the man with the big hair and even bigger tree trunk legs and shoulders was.
It was there in country NSW, a six-hour drive north-west of Sydney, that the seed was sown.
Eight months later, Nonggorr’s rapid rise is set to be complete when he comes off the bench against Georgia in the Wallabies’ World Cup opener.
“No, to be honest, I wouldn’t have thought that,” said Nonggorr, when asked if he thought he was a chance to play at the World Cup.
“It was definitely a dream and a goal of mine to be part of the squad and is a real honour.
“I’m very excited to be here, but I’ve just got to keep adding to the team and bring what I bring in and help the team get better.”
Nonggorr is under no illusion of the task ahead.
Called up for his Test debut in one of international rugby’s toughest cauldrons at Pretoria to face the Springboks, Nonggorr struggled on an embarrassing afternoon for the Wallabies as Jones’ return after the best part of two decades fell flat.
“I think I learned a lot from that experience,” Nonggorr said.
“It’s a massive step up Test rugby and I didn’t do too well in the set-piece, but I’ve got a lot of learnings from that and just around the field as well.
“The first day you’re pretty battered and sore, but you’ve got to let go pretty quickly. You’ve got to learn from it.
“It didn’t take too long because we had a game again next week and then the boys had to go into the Bledisloe. You can’t spend too long feeling too sorry for yourself. You’ve just got to learn from it.”
Nonggorr was dropped for the following Test against Argentina and then from the squad altogether for their Bledisloe opener, before injuries to Allan Alaalatoa and Tupou saw Zonggorr once again come off the bench against the All Blacks in Dunedin.
With Pone Fa’amausili set to miss their World Cup opener, Nonggorr is primed to be Tupou’s deputy.
It’s another case of learning on the run. But after dominating schoolboy rugby, Nonggorr has quickly learned that age waits for no one.
“It was a massive jump. I think the last full game I played before I debuted at Super Rugby was probably a schoolboy game, an under-18 game,” he said.
Zane Nonggorr. (Photo by Adam Pretty – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
“But you’ve got to adapt and learn quickly with it.
“They’re not going to wait for you to get used to it. You’ve got to jump in and try your hardest and learn from every experience you have.
“You’ve just got to knuckle in, especially with scrums. You’re always learning with scrums. You have to try to get better every session, try not to do the same mistakes twice.”
Scrum coach Neal Hatley, who was Jones’ assistant at England during his first World Cup cycle with the RFU, said Nonggorr had earned his spot and wasn’t simply about to line up against Georgia because of an injury.
“It’s not just the fact that point Pone’s out with injury,” Hatley said.
“The work that Zane’s put in. We watched him against Ethan de Groot when the Reds played the Highlanders in those final stages, and where he’s gone from year to year.
“He had an outstanding scrum and the work that he’s put in, he’s properly putting his hand up as a bloke to start and to come off the bench.
“The coaches have seen real growth in him as a player. He’s not that back-up player. The way he’s pushing himself to become a starter has been a great transformation with him.”
Nonggorr is expecting a baptism of fire against Georgia on the weekend, with the Eastern Europeans known for their set-piece prowess.
“They’re very good at set-piece and they’re very physical,” Nonggorr said.
“We’ve been trying to replicate that in training and been trying to up the physicality and help up our set-piece and just get ready for challenge.”
And, as Nic White interjected, “Great beards”.
“Eddie’s been calling me a Georgian because of the beard,” Nonggorr sheepishly said.
Nonggorr grew up idolising Tupou as a teenager, but he will have an important job finishing the job when he comes on to replace the Melbourne Rebels-bound prop.
Hatley says he’s confident he will do the job, but knows that at 22 he’s merely a young man at the start of his career – even if he doesn’t look it.
Zane Nonggorr during the Australian Wallabies training session at Sanctuary Cove on June 29, 2023 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
“I mean, he’s like Benjamin Button in reverse,” Hatley said. “He looks about 42.
“I can’t compliment enough. The work that he’s put in, it’s probably the toughest position. You’ve got to scrum all the way through, drive, maul, ruck, carry, defend.
“The amount of actions that these big men have and, as a big man, to keep going, repeat, get off the floor, I think it’s the toughest position in our game.
“At 22 to be playing international rugby is a big step in that position. The scope for growth is huge with him.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.