Springboks legend reveals Ma’a Nonu’s ‘sign of respect’ in milestone match which illustrated rugby’s ‘humane side’

Former Springboks captain Jean de Villiers has revealed how a a touching gesture from Ma’a Nonu in his 100th Test for the Boks made a huge and lasting impression on him.

De Villiers made his revelation in the build-up to this weekend’s eagerly anticipated encounter between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park – a match which is being viewed as the most anticipated rugby match since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final.

The sides were in action on that occasion in Paris, with the Boks clinching a narrow 12-11 victory to become the first nation to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the fourth time and they have held the upper hand in the fixture of late as they have won the last four Tests between the teams.

However, the All Blacks head into Saturday’s clash with an unbeaten record of 50 Tests at Eden Park, which stretches back to 1994, while the Boks have not won at the famous venue since 1937.

Adding spice to the fixture is the fact that all four teams have won one and lost one match in this year’s Rugby Championship after two rounds of action, and only two points separate the teams in the standings.

New Zealand are currently setting the pace at the top of the table with six points, while Australia are in second position, just one point adrift, with South Africa and Australia having each amassed four points.

De Villiers highlighted how intense the rivalry between the Springboks and All Blacks is and explained how much it took out of him when he went head-to-head with his country’s arch rivals at Test level.

‘It very much depended on the result sometimes’

“In terms of the physicality and how you felt after the game, it very much depended on the result sometimes,” he told the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin.

“When you win, then suddenly the body just feels fine and you can take that pain. Whereas the pain and the heartache of losing just makes the physical pain even worse. It’s brutal.

“It is brutal and rugby is a brutal game. It’s a very physical game. But I think what you actually enjoy is being able to finish a game like that, knowing that you actually left everything out there, sitting next to your mate whether there’s blood or whatever.

“You have a beer and you actually talk about those moments. And even more so being able to do it and walk across to the opposition team room and have a beer with them and talk about it.

“And that is the ethos of rugby that I absolutely love because it is so brutal.

“It is so physical. But the respect that remains within the rugby fraternity to be able to leave it on the field and say ‘Ok, we’re going to do our utmost there to be able to win, but walk off the field, shake each other’s hands and have a drink afterwards’.

Jean de Villiers highlights All Blacks ‘vulnerability’ the Springboks can exploit at Eden Park

“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. And that’s what you remember as well.”

De Villiers admitted that while it is always important to secure victory against the All Blacks, he feels there are other meaningful aspects of clashes between the teams which should not be underestimated.

“It’s an extremely high priority for both these teams, both these countries to be able to get a result in this rugby game, in the 80 minutes of rugby,” said the legendary Springbok, who made 109 Test appearances between 2002 and 2015.

‘That’s the beauty of it for me’

“But in the bigger scheme of things, it does just remain a game and to be able to try your utmost to be able to get that result, but to be able to put it aside after the 80 minutes and just be a human being, respectful of anyone and including the opposition. That’s the beauty of it for me.

“And that’s the learning of sport, of rugby.”

He then mentioned Nonu’s heart-warming act, which happened during a memorable Rugby Championship encounter in Wellington 11 years ago.

“To give context to that statement, I was fortunate enough to play my 100th Test match in Wellington, New Zealand in 2014,” De Villiers said.

“And Ma’a Nonu was my opposite number. Just before half-time, he tried to tackle me and he broke his arm. So he went back into the changing room.

“They assessed his arm. He went off to the hospital, didn’t return for the second half. And when I got back into the changing room after the game, his jersey was hanging in my locker.

“So he took the time, even though he was off to the hospital, to just put his jersey there because he knew that it was my 100th Test match.

“I’m hoping as a sign of respect. That means more to me than the fact that he was and still is an absolutely fantastic rugby player, because it shows the humane side.

“And I hope that rugby can forever and a day remain that way.”

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