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Super Rugby PacificBluesSan Diego LegionMa'a Nonu

Ma'a Nonu confirms he is leaving the Blues but he isn't done with pro rugby yet

Ma'a Nonu of the Blues. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

Christopher Reive NZ Herald

Ma’a Nonu’s fleeting return to New Zealand rugby has come to an end, with the midfielder set to continue his career in the United States.

The 103-test All Blacks will join the San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby next season, after a single year back on home shores with the Blues.

“Ma’a is a huge addition for us,” Legion head coach Rob Hoadley said of the signing.

“It is undeniable that he will have a major impact on the MLR this season. He is a world-class player who has proven himself to be one of the greats of the game. His talent and leadership will be a perfect addition to the San Diego Legion.”

Nonu returned to New Zealand for the 2019 Super Rugby season sparking discussion over whether or not he would be able to challenge for a spot in the All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad.

However, in 14 appearances, the 37-year-old pushed his claim in a struggling Blues outfit and but was left out in a crowded All Blacks midfield.

Major League Rugby is a new competition, founded in 2017 with its inaugural season being played in 2018.

The competition features 12 teams, with 11 from the US and one from Canada. The Seattle Seawolves have claimed the title in both seasons played to date.

Nonu will link up with ex-Hurricanes prop Chris Eves and former Waikato No8 Jordan Manihera in San Diego at the commencement of pre-season training this December.

Former Wallabies winger Digby Ioane (Glendale Raptors), Ex-All Blacks Adam Thompson (Utah Warriors) and former French centre Mathieu Bastareaud (Rugby United New York) have also signed on for the 2020 season.

This article first appeared on the NZ Herald and is republished with permission here. 

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Comments on RugbyPass

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RC 16 minutes ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

The All Blacks pioneered and perfected the final 20 onslaught from 2012-2017…

The boks boring “bomb squad” doesn't compare 🤣



...

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Jordan 01 19 minutes ago
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Well If fakatava didn’t kick the ball back to the opposition everytime he gets the ball they might make some progress 😒

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PB 32 minutes ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Been saying all along, trying to fit pieces around Ardie in the loose trio is costing the AB’s

Ardie is an impact player! He doesn’t want to play the Sam Cane type role that Sam Cane and Mc Caw played, and is essentially to small to play 6 or 8



...

5 Go to comments
L
Ludovici 39 minutes ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

Love it, everyone following the Springboks recipe.

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Hammer Head 41 minutes ago
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Nah. Just straight up the middle, garden variety, kants.

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Icefarrow 1 hour ago
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Icefarrow 2 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

We don’t need a 6-2 split. Almost every team we’ve beaten in the past two years went with one, and lost. It doesn’t add the impact many think it does. And why would you want a playmaker like Christie to come on and slow down the game? You need pace in the last twenty, in which case Hotham is your man.

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BH 2 hours ago
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...

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cnw 2 hours ago
Jeff Wilson on why Ardie Savea must fill All Blacks bench role

I like the thought process. Thats a powerful bench. Would like to see the starting bench to see how the spread of mass works. Curious too about how he would use this bench. I dont know that it is the last 20 thats key. If the Bok game in Wellington, the Autumn series and the 6N is anything to go by - the key period for momentum is between minute 30 and minute 65. It seems teams are playing a super high intensity first 25-30 minutes and the team that can keep accelerator down from minute 30 through to 65 will take control of the game. While orthodoxy suggests a 50 / 30 split - reversing that and going 30 / 50 so the ABs get say Sititi or Lakai going mad for the first 30 and Ardie comes on minute 30 could do exactly that while having him on the field in the finish too.

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Jono 4 hours ago
Petaia et Perpignan : pourquoi ça ne prend pas

Une analyse sévère qui passe complètement à côté de l'essentiel. Petaia a débarqué dans un club en plein chaos et a été tranquillement l'un des joueurs les plus fiables de l'effectif dans les domaines qui comptent vraiment — son travail défensif a été le meilleur de l'équipe, son jeu au pied levé est de classe mondiale, et juger un arrière uniquement sur le nombre d'essais dans une équipe qui peine à produire du jeu vers l'avant est une analyse paresseuse.

Zéro essai ne veut pas dire zéro contribution. Regardez ce qu'il fait dans les phases de construction, les passes décisives, le travail qui met ses coéquipiers à l'essai. Rien de tout cela n'apparaît dans les statistiques.



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JW 5 hours ago
The five performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific round six

I think you need to give Brumbies their due, they’ll push the top four this year and continue to be a threat at home.

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JW 5 hours ago
The five performers of the week from Super Rugby Pacific round six

He’s a lot smaller than Parker, two different styled 6/8’s, so depends what you’re after.

7 Go to comments
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Spew_81 5 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

I thought that Kidwell would prepare a better defense.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
Jamie Joseph’s simple take on where the Highlanders are struggling

Thats the Canes third 50 the thing to stand out of this game was their defense, or at least the lack of points conceded.

That scoreline partly to blame with what Joseph about not staying calm when getting behind. I think they did make it worse for themselves and this is represented in what you highlighted with the amount of errors/handling. If they hold onto the ball and score then you are also not seeing one or two, maybe even three, of those Canes tries, so upto four try swing in that one area alone.



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11 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures

Thats what he’s describing happens now.

11 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures



How about if you don’t think they will fit back in then don’t pick them.

But now you’re having to pick someone who wasn’t as good as DMac when he needed to play in SR.



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11 Go to comments
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Ed the Duck 6 hours ago
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“There’s always a lot of chat with them. They’re quite mouthy.”

Arrogant team. Arrogant players. Arrogant fans.



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John Breslin 6 hours ago
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Yep. Japan in 2015 - still the only team to win 3 pool games and not progress. Shafted by the scheduling

Tonga beat France in 2011 but still got trapped in the pool, scheduling didn't exactly help them



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NH 6 hours ago
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Nice one john, i made a similar point elsewhere about the table and the run the brumbies vs the canes have had. Brumbies will need to make sure they don’t get complacent and bank their next few games which are against bottom 6 teams. Impressed with reds D and composure in fiji where they usually come unstuck. I thought the forwards in particular looked fit and hungry in D, plugging any gaps the drua tried to find. Hunter and Henry firming as a very solid partnership, hunter had a number of key involvements in that 2nd half. Only real blip was their exit kicking, drua had a bunch of attacking lineouts 25-30m out, it was just lucky for the reds they were able to disrupt their lineout. Almost all kickers seemed to shank the ball i assume because it was so wet, with it coming off the side of their boot. Drua much better at knowing to just hoof it as far as you can down the other end. HMP realised this in the second half.

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John Breslin 6 hours ago
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He's a humble big lad and Leinster, the humble heroes, got humbled on the day

It's fine. It happens in sport. Still only March. Fear not, Ed - he'll be there when they're giving out the prizes 👌



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62 Go to comments
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