Sharks coach JP Pietersen has defended his decision to pick All Blacks great Ma’a Nonu to play against New Zealand.
“His name says it all,” Pietersen said on Monday, the day before the Sharks host the All Blacks’ second tour match at Kings Park.
The 44-year-old Nonu arrived at the Sharks only last week primarily to mentor and help develop their younger players. His selection in the reserves for a side without eight senior Springboks and impacted by injuries turned heads, even among the touring All Blacks.
Photo: AP
Local critics jumped on the irony of Nonu coming to help player development while playing in a milestone match at the possible expense of a young Shark.
Pietersen said Nonu was not denying anyone a spot, the midfield choices were limited, and he had to respect what he called “a massive and awesome” occasion as the Sharks host the All Blacks for the first time in 30 years.
“This is our strongest team,” Pietersen said. “It’s great he’s here with us and giving our young boys just a feel of what the All Blacks may give to them. He’s slot in like he was here for a long [time] and the boys love him.”
“It’s going to be an emotional game for Ma’a because it’s the first time he’s playing against the All Blacks,” Pietersen added. “It’ll be awesome to see tomorrow.”
Nonu retired from the All Blacks in 2015 as a two-time World Cup champion with 103 caps. He has continued to play for clubs around the world.
Pietersen, a former Springbok opponent of Nonu’s, has urged his youngish side, which has not played since May 16 and was in preseason training, to “make a memory” to talk about for the next 30 years.
The Sharks include Vusi Moyo, who became the youngest flyhalf in Springboks history at 20 last month in the win against Wales. They have six players from the South Africa A side which beat Zimbabwe 40-0 in June. They had seven but lock Vincent Tshituka withdrew on Monday due to concussion.
“We will not be at 100 percent, at best at 70 or 80 percent, but we’ll give it everything we can,” Pietersen said.
Rain is forecast for the entire match.
The All Blacks beat the Stormers 38-21 in Cape Town on Friday in their tour opener.
ON TILT: Four time Grand Slam winner Aryna Sabalenka dropped the first set in a tiebreak against Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova, who won five of the last six points Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) on Saturday advanced to the women’s doubles quarter-finals of the Toronto Masters with Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko, while in the women’s singles world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula were upset in fourth-round matches. Hsieh and Ostapenko defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Quinn Gleason of the US in straight sets 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), while Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien (吳芳嫺) and Chan Hao-ching (詹皓晴) were knocked out in the round of 16. Hsieh and Ostapenko are scheduled to play Ann Li of the US and Denmark’s Clara Tauson today. Four-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka suffered a blow to her
After bird droppings, stray animals and air-quality concerns overshadowed badminton’s India Open in New Delhi earlier this year, organizers of the flagship World Championships on Tuesday said the city was ready to deliver a smoother spectacle. The Aug. 17 to 23 tournament is to be held at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, with the draw taking place on Wednesday. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) and local organizers, Badminton Association of India (BAI), said preparations were on track. “Following the India Open in January, BAI acted swiftly to address feedback relating to venue cleanliness and environmental conditions,” BWF secretary-general Thomas Lund
Surfing’s 11-time world champion Kelly Slater showed he still has what it takes to foot it with the best at the Tahiti Pro on Saturday, scoring the highest heat total of the first day in huge and wild waves. The 54-year-old, who retired from full-time competition in 2024, clocked up an excellent two-wave total of 16.23 out of 20 to advance to the second round and into a mouth-watering match-up with Brazil’s three-time uworld champion, Gabriel Medina. “It’s sort of like riding a bike, but you forget how gnarly Teahupo’o is,” said Slater, who has won the event five times in 20
Police yesterday raided South Korea’s soccer association as part of an investigation into the appointment of the coach in charge during their dismal FIFA World Cup campaign. Police conducted “search and seizure operations” at the Korea Football Association (KFA) offices, probing allegations of “obstruction of business” in the recruitment of former coach Hong Myung-bo, a police spokesman said. The 57-year-old resigned in June after South Korea were knocked out at the group stage of the 48-team showpiece in the US, Mexico and Canada following a shock 1-0 defeat to South Africa. Questions were already dogging the association over the 2024
RSS