Ma'a Nonu gives his own version of Nigel Owens' "This is not soccer"

Never shy with his use of the shoulder, Ma’a Nonu has once again been shown a yellow card for a late charge, this time in Toulon’s loss to Clermont. Perhaps fed up with what he sees as a softening of the game, he lets fly with his own version of “This is not soccer”.   

The incident took place just shy of halftime with Toulon nursing a 10-6 lead. Clermont quickly took advantage of the man down and scored the go-ahead try. They never relenquished the lead and won 21-16.

It’s difficult to sympathize with Nonu in this particular instance as the hit is high, without arms, and unquestionably late. This should be a card in every intance, as Nonu should know all too well given his penchant for this particular move.

However, that didn’t stop him from taking a page from Nigel Owens in voicing his distain for the card. The glaring difference here is that the ref has the power of the card, as the player does not.

More than likely, this kind of reaction will only harm a player’s reputation in the future. There are some who feel that the game may be “getting soft”. However, it’s safe to say the card was more than justified in this instance.

Credit: Offload Media