• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

Ma'a Nonu

Status
Not open for further replies.
No4918

No4918

John Hipwell (52)
I do remember hearing the commentators during a Highlanders game a bit earlier in the season saying there were strong rumours a couple of Hurricanes players could be heading to Dunedin next year. Hore is the only one i remember at the moment, quite sure another was an outside back.
 
DPK

DPK

Peter Sullivan (51)
Nonu and Umaga in the same backline? That might put a few people off their tea. :tard
 
Larno

Larno

Ward Prentice (10)
Saw this on PR:

Hammett versus Nonu?

It has been reported that the Hurricanes' sacking of star centre Ma'a Nonu followed a campaign to undermine coach Mark Hammett, often in front of team-mates.

Hammett announced on Wednesday that Nonu and fellow All Black veteran Andrew Hore would not be offered contracts for the 2012 Super Rugby season but refused to reveal his reasoning, other than saying management wanted to "move on".

Wellington's Dominion Post reported that Nonu - who is set to play a key role in the All Blacks' World Cup campaign later this year - refused to accept Hammett, who is in his first season as head coach of the 'Canes.

It said Nonu questioned Hammett's ideas in front of Hurricanes players at training and ignored the coach's demands to end his on-field indiscipline which has cost the New Zealand team dearly during a disappointing season.

Despite Nonu's improved late-season form, it said the final straw for Hammett was when the 54-Test All Black appeared to deliberately throw the ball at a touch judge in the Hurricanes' 38-27 win over the Lions last Saturday.

"Nonu's was an act of petulance that may have rubber-stamped (Hammett's) belief that there were certain players who would not, and could not, change," said the newspaper.

Hurricanes chief executive James Te Puni said he had heard rumours about Nonu's supposedly divisive nature before taking the role last February but they were not a deciding factor in letting him go.

"I've seen comments on that from the outside... prior to arriving at the Hurricanes, he's probably best described as a mercurial character, but I don't know him well enough to comment in detail," he told Radio Sport on Thursday.

"He's clearly a fantastic player and ironically, it's been noted he's playing very very well in the last couple of weeks. Our view though is we've got a bunch of other midfielders who are coming through."

The sackings have prompted an online backlash against Hammett from Hurricanes fans, many of whom were against his appointment because of his links to bitter rivals the Crusaders.

"Forget the sacking of Nonu and Hore. Sack Hammet(t). He's ruined the Hurricanes," was a typical comment on the TVNZ website.
Click to expand...

Not good.
 
Riptide

Riptide

Dave Cowper (27)
Larno said:
Saw this on PR:



Not good.
Click to expand...

Understandably, there will be many efforts made by Hammett to win the PR battle now to recover Hurricane fan support. So, there will be more leaks to the media. A stronger coach would have eliminated cliques and secured the buy-in and support of his leadership at the start of the season.
 
J

Jay

Guest
No4918 said:
I do remember hearing the commentators during a Highlanders game a bit earlier in the season saying there were strong rumours a couple of Hurricanes players could be heading to Dunedin next year. Hore is the only one i remember at the moment, quite sure another was an outside back.
Click to expand...

Hore's actually from Otago, but they've got Rutledge who they're fairly happy with. Joseph was actually more interested in recruiting Dane Coles apparently.

The outside back would be Hosea Gear who Joseph was also trying to pinch.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom