Ma'a Nonu reveals the secret to his longevity after signing new contract aged 43

Saturday, 05 July 2025 at 19:19

byRugby Rucker

All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu isn’t done yet — the 42-year-old is reportedly set to sign a one-year contract extensionwith Toulon, according to
L’Equipe.

Nonu rejoined the Top 14 outfit in February as a medical joker, linking up with the squad while working alongside the coaching team as he eyes a future in coaching.

Initially brought in to cover for the injured Charles Ollivon, Nonu also provided depth after Antoine Frisch suffered a broken leg.

His minutes may have been limited, but Nonu still made an impact — including a try off the bench in Toulon’s Top 14 quarter-final win over Castres. He missed the semi-final loss to Bordeaux-Begles.

So what’s the key to still performing at the top level in your forties?

"I guess it's what you put in your mouth," Nonu said in February. "[The body] hasn't always been in good shape but I've learned with experience about my body and mind.
I'm still trying to achieve goals, and it's the lifestyle you live if you want to play professional sport."

That lifestyle includes a major diet change — Nonu went vegetarian during his first spell in France, thanks to his son Michael.

"Michael, my second one, he's seven years old. When he was growing up, I was trying to feed him meat – chicken – and he never liked it," Nonu explained.
"I thought 'let's try something new'.

"I said 'I'm not going to eat meat because I feel sorry for him enough, he'll (feel) stink. If we're going out and I'm ordering a T-bone steak and he's eating his carrots and cucumber … so I said look for the love of my son I won't eat meat because I'll try to be the same as him.'"

From Wellington to France, to going meat-free for his kids — Nonu’s rugby journey is far from ordinary. And it’s not over yet.

Four All Blacks who flopped against France

Plenty of players turned in decent shifts, but a few simply didn’t rise to the occasion. Whether it was rust, poor decision-making, or just failing to meet Test-match intensity, here are five All Blacks Razor should consider dropping ahead of sterner challenges.

? 1. Ethan De Groot: The Wall That Whispered

The big loosehead held firm at scrum time, but outside of set-piece solidity, he barely left a dent on the contest.

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Scrum very stable in the opening stages. A solid defensive outing with 11 tackles. One handling error for the big man a negative. Off at 55."

Stuff 5/10: "Likely starting only because of Tamaiti Williams’ knee injury, the big hometown loosehead got through his work, without leaving his mark on proceedings."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Pretty much the same as Newell. Sound in the set-pieces, quiet elsewhere."

De Groot wasn’t bad—but he wasn’t exactly first-choice material either. With Williams returning soon, Razor’s call might get easier.

? 2. Rieko Ioane: A Wing and a Miss

The experiment of shifting Ioane back to the wing produced flashes of brilliance—alongside a few glaring mistakes that cost the All Blacks dearly.

Planet Rugby 4/10: "A hit-and-miss return to the wing for Ioane in many regards as he produced one of his more eye-catching performances with ball in hand, racking up 70 metres, beating one defender and making three clean breaks. However, he was found wanting with his defensive reads and work under the high ball. This shouldn’t be the end of the experiment just yet."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Back on the wing Ioane looked off the pace. Found three line breaks but doubts will persist over Ioane on the wing after this. First touch injecting off a lineout launch resulted in a line break was positive. Spilled the ball from the opening kick off in the second half which France scored from. Had a nice touch down the edge in the second half."

RUCK 5/10: "Could be the start of another tough year for Ioane. Unlike the rest of his team, he was unable to have any sort of impact."

Stuff 6/10: "Lost his centre spot, but not his starting one after being shifted to the left wing. His critics won’t be appeased, but an effort where he led the All Blacks in line-breaks (3) is not to be sneezed at. A bad handling error after halftime was a black mark but looked mostly useful."

Line breaks and handling errors in equal measure—it’s the kind of balance you don’t want in a Test winger.

? 3. Billy Proctor: Cold Debut, Lukewarm Hype

The Proctor experiment at 13 didn’t exactly catch fire. Promising in Super Rugby, but well below par in black.

Rugby Pass 5/10: "A tough night for Proctor in a rare start at 13. Was beaten on the outside from the scrum on the big line break leading to France’s first try. Copped a boot to the face in the process. Was denied a try for what was called separation. Had a quieter game but had a steady run in the second half."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "A promising showing but he left much to be desired after pushing Rieko Ioane to the wing for the first game of the year. He was skinned after a poor defensive read on Theo Attissogbe and crucially spilt the ball with his ball placement in the second half. A few handling errors as he was excellently marked by Emillien Gailleton. Somewhat underwhelming after what he produced in Super Rugby."

Not quite a disaster, but not convincing either. The midfield puzzle remains unsolved.

?‍♂️ 4. Scott Barrett: The Invisible Captain

A captain’s job is to inspire—and while Barrett had one momentum-swinging moment, the rest of his night was strangely anonymous.

Rugby Pass 5/10: "Came up with a big charge down and recovery after going down 10-0 to change the momentum. Six tackles for Scott. Off at 60."

Stuff 5/10: "A solid rather than spectacular 58 minutes by the skipper, in his 81st test, before making way for Finau. But did slip into a mostly positive combination with his rookie mate."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "His charge down swung the momentum back into the All Blacks’ favour in the first half which was a highlight in an otherwise quiet shift from the captain."

Barrett’s not in danger of being dropped yet—but leadership should come with more than just the odd highlight.