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Judging by his character, Ma’a Nonu isn’t likely to be too perturbed by Dan Carter and Richie McCaw stealing most of the limelight.
They head the list of greats who have played, or in McCaw’s case likely played, their last game for their beloved All Blacks in the World Cup final.
It would be easy to write about any of those great players, an individual collection of astonishing quality and a collective group who have delivered an almost hegemony over world rugby for the best part of their careers.
Bledisloe Cups, Tri Nations, Rugby Championships, World Cups, winning streaks – the list goes on and they have achieved it all.
While Carter and McCaw deserve all the attention and recognition they get, as two of the all time greats of the world game, it is Nonu a man who has been somewhat of an enigma to the public, criticised and loved in equal part.
It is him I am drawn to write about.
There is often too much talk of greatness, of a player being the ‘greatest ever’ player in a position. It is often an argument that favours present players as opinion is naturally skewed to modern time and as memories of past fade. However after watching Nonu again perform to such a world class standard in the world cup final, I wondered to myself – is he now the undisputed greatest All Black midfielder of all time?
This is a man who has taken midfield excellence to another level. This excellence can be summed up in so many ways: consistency, improvement, dominance and success just a few of them.
For eight straight years he has been the go-to man in the All Black midfield, the player charged with getting the team over the gain line.
And dominate the gain line he did. However, to say he was just a crash ball merchant couldn’t be further from the truth. Nonu had it all, combining the brute strength of an elephant with the agility of a ballerina, the vision of those bouncing and flaying dreadlocks something that will live long in the memory.
Time and time again, Nonu played a huge part in helping the All Blacks win big Test matches. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if an analysis was carried out on his 31 Test tries and it was found that the majority were crucial or decisive in deciding a Test match.
Like all legends, he was a true big-game player.
So back to the argument of the All Blacks greatest midfielder, if not Nonu then who? I wasn’t old enough to see the great Bruce Robertson but I have been privileged enough to see some fine players, all with a legitimate claim to being included in the debate. Joe Stanley, Frank Bunce, Tana Umaga and Nonu’s long-time partner in crime Conrad Smith, all could lay claim to such a title.
The ultimate deciding factor? Though these discussions are never final the two world cup winner medals that Nonu played such a big part in securing, not to mention the 103 Tests he played, the countless opponents he battered and bettered and the staggering number of tries he set up, I believe could slam the door shut on the argument once and for all.
He leaves New Zealand rugby as a champion and in my opinion the greatest All Black midfielder of them all.
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.