New Zealand great Ma’a Nonu joins French club Toulon until the end of the season
New Zealand’s Ma’a Nonu, wearing his new jersey spaeks with media during a press conference, after signing with the French rugby team Toulon, in Toulon, southern France, Monday, Nov. 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Claude Paris, File)
TOULON, France (AP) — Former New Zealand great Ma’a Nonu is joining Toulon until the end of the season, the French club said Tuesday.
Toulon announced the signing on X, along with a photo of the 42-year-old Nonu holding up the club’s red jersey. He is joining as a medical joker, the French rugby term for a player who arrives during the season as an injury replacement.
Toulon is battling for supremacy with archrival Toulouse in the Top 14 league, with Toulouse three points ahead in first place.
The powerful center was a key member of the New Zealand side which won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015, and he made 103 test appearances for the All Blacks. With Conrad Smith he formed arguably one of the greatest midfield pairings in international rugby, and Nonu has never lost a World Cup match — winning all 16 he played in.
He returns for a third spell at Toulon, having played for the southern side from 2015-18 and 2020-21, playing 93 games over the two spells.
After that he joined San Diego Legion in the United States.
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