All Blacks reveal what happened before Ma’a Nonu’s Haka response
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Legend.
Ma’a Nonu produced one of the moments of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour when he responded to the All Blacks Haka ahead of the Sharks’ clash with New Zealand in Durban.
The 44-year-old stepped forward following the haka at Kings Park and delivered a Māori response of his own in front of the team he represented 103 times during an incredible international career.
It was a remarkable moment involving the two-time World Cup winner, but All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has since revealed that Nonu’s response wasn’t a complete surprise.
In fact, Nonu had spoken with members of the New Zealand camp beforehand to make sure anything he did was respectful.
“We knew it was coming,” Rennie said.
“Ma’a caught up with our assistant coach Tana (Umaga) and some of the lads during the week.
“They had a conversation because Ma’a wanted to be respectful. He was querying what the best way to respond to that was, and they encouraged him.
“We thought it was excellent how it panned out.”
Nonu would later come off the bench for the Sharks, officially joining the rare group of former All Blacks who have gone on to play against New Zealand.
The veteran centre was introduced for the final 20 minutes and provided several trademark physical moments against his former country, although there was little he could do to change the outcome.
New Zealand ran in eight unanswered tries on their way to an emphatic 54-0 victory, with Fehi Fineanganofo crossing twice while Damian McKenzie, Caleb Clarke, Jordie Barrett, Kyle Preston, Timoci Tavatavanawai and Sam Darry also scored.
The result made it two wins from two for the All Blacks on their traditional tour of South Africa following their 38-21 victory over the Stormers in Cape Town.
They now travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Ma'a Nonu responds to the All Blacks haka with one of his own 🤝 pic.twitter.com/j7LoEjx3IV
— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) August 11, 2026
