All Blacks legend Ma'a Nonu is available for selection, says Sharks coach

All Blacks legend Ma'a Nonu is available for selection, says Sharks coach

Sharks coach JP Pietersen revealed that former All Blacks superstar Ma'a Nonu could feature again for the franchise.

The Sharks turned heads when they signed the 44-year-old in the off-season, and the legendary centre has already made headlines at the club. 

In the aftermath of the Sharks receiving the All Blacks' haka in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry last month, Nonu stepped up and delivered a chilling solo haka that will be remembered for the ages. He came on for a 19-minute cameo in the second half, running over flyhalf Ruben Love, 18-years his junior.

But Nonu is not just parading around. The 103-cap veteran was primarily signed to mentor the young Sharks' backline, a role which he has taken seriously. But should the Sharks suffer a slew of injuries, Pietersen revealed they would indeed send the veteran once more unto the breach.

"He is available if we get a lot of serious injuries, but at the moment we are all good," Pietersen told reporters earlier this week.

"As you know, we have Suleiman Hartzenberg who has joined us from the Stormers, and we have Jurenzo [Julius] and Murray Koster in the centres with Lili Bester.

"He is still the mentor, and he is helping the centres. It's going extremely well - he brings them in every morning and helps them with their preparation and their skill sets.

"I think they have a 06.30 class every morning where the centres get together. He's also a massive help for a player like [Zekhethelo] Siyaya, just to upskill him and just to speed up the process of learning faster and gaining experience off the field before he gets on the field."

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