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Ma'a Nonu set to sign new Toulon deal taking him to the age of 44
By Josh Raisey
Ma’a Nonu is set to sign a one-year contract extension at Toulon, according to a report in French outlet L’Equipe.
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The All Blacks legend rejoined the club in February at the age of 42 as a medical joker after linking up with the coaching team as he trained to become a coach.
The centre was brought in as a replacement for Charles Ollivon, who was ruled out for the season with a knee injury, but provided cover for Antoine Frisch, who had a broken leg.
Though his gametime was limited at the Stade Mayol, Nonu did feature in Toulon’s Top 14 campaign, scoring a try from the bench in their quarter-final victory over Castres before missing the semi-final defeat to Bordeaux-Begles.
This new deal will mean Nonu will be 44 when his contract at the Cote d’Azur expires.
Speaking to French outlet Midi Olympique shortly after Nonu signed for the club earlier this year, Toulon director of rugby Pierre Mignoni said: “Ma’a Nonu has an aura. I was lucky enough to play with and coach a guy like Jonny [Wilkinson], and Ma’a is one of those very rare players.
“These guys impact others just by their presence. They also set an example. As you said, he’s 42. I played with Tana [Umaga], who had retired and came back in 2009-2010. It was the first year I came back. Philippe Saint-André had expressed his wish to see him come back with us, and Tana asked him for three weeks… And he came back. I played with a guy like Tana. He was above everything. He played entire matches, for 80 minutes. At 42, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.
“They are individuals with superpowers, we know that. But they’re also guys who take care of themselves. They have extraordinary physical abilities. I experienced it with Tana, and I see another example right now…
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“We have injuries [Frisch and Paia’aua], we have Leicester [Fainga’anuku] who played a lot and even suffered an injury at the start of the season. Finally, we have Jérémy Sinzelle who plays a lot. Not to mention the injury to Mathieu Smaïli…
“If I want a player like Jérémy to be at his peak by the time of the Top 14 or European Cup finals, I also need to manage him. So Ma’a can be a very good substitute, big brother, you call him what you want.
“But, once again, he will play a role in this group. I also assessed him. It’s not just about getting a ‘thrill’ by taking Ma’a Nonu, we felt during high-intensity training sessions that he was ready. And once everything was together, in agreement with the group that I consulted before making the decision, we considered it a good idea.
“For Alun-Wyn Jones, it was at the end that we knew the bet had paid off. Here, we hope it will be the same thing.”
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