As Ma'a Nonu stands on the brink of his 100th test for the All Blacks, coach Steve Hansen has recounted his tough first conversation with the midfielder.
"The first conversation I ever had with him was that we don't think you're fit enough and we want you to go to sevens," Hansen said. "He went there and changed himself. He went from being a blockbusting, hard-running centre to a really fit centre, who could then play for long periods into the game. He's developed the skills over the period and is a beautiful passing centre as well as a blockbusting runner."
Nonu, who made his test debut in 2002 and made the World Cup squad the year after, failed to make the team for the 2007 tournament under Graham Henry. But despite his early difficulties he has developed into a world-class second-five. That really is the key to the 33-year-old's success, the fact that he has kept developing.
He wasn't a great passer during his early days, but the constant practising has changed that. Now he is a brilliant distributer and has two of the best hands in the squad. The same goes for his kicking, which he has also worked hard on.
Hansen added that Nonu's leadership has also grown to the point where he is an influential character.
