Nonu back to where it all began

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/10271880/Ma-a-Nonus-return-to-Hurricanes-confirmed

Maa Nonu is set to be returning to the Hurricanes in 2015, a massive boost for a team who has struggled with inconsistency in recent years and fallen short of the playoffs since 2009.

This will be the first time Nonu has played for the Hurricanes since Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett also known as 'Hammer' unceremoniously dumped him from the franchise along with Andrew Hore and Piri Weepu. That decision has cost the team some games in recent seasons due to the lack of punch in the midfield at crucial times. The man who has covered that position Tim Bateman is a solid operator at that level but perhaps not the strong ball carrier the Hurricanes desperately need heading into next season.

Nonu commented that he never wanted to leave Wellington to begin with, it was hard having to travel back and forth from Auckland to Wellington and Dunedin to Wellington to spend as much time possible as he could with his two young sons.

In terms of Marketing, this is a strong positive for the Wellington franchise. No doubt people would have taken notice that a veteran All Black will be part of the squad and will be excited to see a born and bred Hurricane back to his old tricks for their team. What an amazing opportunity for the teams sponsors to use this to promote the Hurricanes brand, this means that with another exciting all black in the team it will increase ticket sales at Westpac Stadium which will result in greater financial kickbacks which they can then reinvest in the game at a lower level. With crowd numbers inconsistent and okay at best in recent years due to Hurricanes hot and cold seasons it is of vital importance to bring back the fans that have been potentially lost since 2011

In my opinion its a fantastic way of attracting fans because Nonu was a brilliant performer in his time with the Hurricanes back in the day and having him play consistently for the team will only motivate people to show up to the home games and see what this guy can do.

From a team Management point of view they have employed clear strategic goals as to what they want from Maa Nonu returning to his home franchise. He will be a great asset to the teams overall results and will help manage the younger players such as Ardie Savea, Motu Matuu and Matt Proctor into real leaders of this team moving forward beyond 2015. Incoming coaches Chris Boyd and John Plumtree need to be tough on Nonu's performance so he can get the best out of himself for World cup aspirations and so the team can have the best shot possible at winning the title.

The points addressed in this analysis talk about some key aspects as to what the spin offs are from a Marketing and Management perspective due to All Blacks 2nd five eighth returning to the Hurricanes in 2015.