"Still hurting people" - 5 international rugby stars you didn't know are still playing

San Diego Legion re-signed former New Zealand All Blacks Ma’a Nonu for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 40-year-old centre is 6’0″ and 240 lbs and still smashing people.

Ma’a played 872 minutes in 13 matches, starting 12, and scored one try in 2022. For Ma’a, 2022 was is his second stint with the Legion. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he played 289 minutes in 4 starts and scored 3 tries. He then signed with Toulon as a medical joker and spent 2020 and 2021 with the team.

Ma’a is from Wellington, New Zealand, and attended First Strathmore Park Primary School and then Rongotai College.

He played his amateur rugby for Oriental Rongotai, the Wellington Secondary Schools from 1999-2000, and Wellington U19s in 2001. He also played rugby league as a youth.

He played for Wellington from 2002-2015, Super Rugby for the Hurricanes from 2003-2015, the Ricoh Black Rams in 2011-12 in Japan, the Blues in 2012, Highlanders in 2013, Toulon in the Top 14 from 2015-2018, and the Blues in 2019.

Oxford Harlequins welcomed the former premiership record try scorer who will take on a dual role combining his rugby management career with his exceptional rugby talent.

Varndell has agreed to assume the position of Head of Rugby at Oxford Brookes University, which has close links to Oxford Harlequins.

In addition to his management role, he will also become the Head of Community at the club, while still playing for the team.

Marcus Boswell, the student sport manager at Oxford Brookes had the following to say about their star capture;

The former Ireland and Lions flanker returned to Leinster, this summer, to take up a coaching role with a side he won multiple league and European titles with O'Brien. However, he just couldn't stay retired, making his rugby comeback with Naas RFC.

O'Brien had been seeking to play for his club, Tullow, when he returned from his professional rugby stint in England, with London Irish. That move to a junior-level side was prevented when the domestic level section of the Leinster Rugby branch stated it would be going against safety guidelines for a just retired professional to immediately drop down to play at that level.

Simpson joined seventh tier Old Priorians in February, and made his debut for the Saints the following weekend against London Sussex.

The scrum-half - who made 230 appearances for Wasps in the Premiership (along with spells for Gloucester, Bath and Sale) and played for England at the 2011 World Cup - retired from the professional game in December 2022 and follows his brother Michael in pulling on the OPs shirt.

England legend and World Cup winner Tindall plays a selection of matches for Minchinhampton, the club close to his home.  

The centre played outside centre for Bath and Gloucester, and won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011. He was a member of the England squad which won the 2003 World Cup.