Cooper's not amused over Nonu

Ma'a Nonu has escaped further punishment for his latest scrape with the judiciary, but Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper has warned his star centre he's running out of chances.

The Sanzar judiciary yesterday found Nonu had no further case to answer after being cited for a reckless tackle on Stormers first-five Peter Grant during the Hurricanes' 37-13 loss in Cape Town on Sunday.

But while Cooper did not think Nonu's tackle warranted more than a penalty, he admitted his star centre was on notice ahead of Saturday's match against the Bulls after being sinbinned for a spear tackle against the Cheetahs, then sent to the judiciary a week later.

"We are happy with that [decision]. We were surprised [he was cited], yes, and not surprised he was let off," Cooper said.

"We were pretty confident he would get off ...

"[But] he was very lucky not to get cited last week. I think there is no excuse for last week ... there was no excuse for last week and no place for spear tackles in the game.

"He's very aware that he's very lucky. He needs to make some shifts."

With fullback Cory Jane flying back to New Zealand after being concussed against the Stormers, the Hurricanes were desperate to avoid a suspension for Nonu and flew in a lawyer from Bloemfontein to represent him.

Cooper said citing commissioners needed to be careful they did not take big tackles out of rugby altogether, backing comments by Nonu last week that it would be "boring" if the physical side of the game was watered down too much by officials.

"I just think they need to be a little consistent. I remember a quote from the great Tana Umaga, 'it's not tiddlywinks'. As long as you stay within the bounds of what a proper tackle should be and use your arms and keep it below the neck then you should be OK."

More important for the Hurricanes is whether their campaign is still OK.

Cooper suggested South Africa's franchises had caught up to New Zealand's in terms of their professionalism and player development and were tougher than ever to beat on their home turf.

"It's the toughest country. The gap is getting closer to us in what they are doing over here.

"We have not played well, but I have a lot of trust in my team and management to turn this around.

"Some of our senior players have to have a look at themselves. You can't rely on the young guys. We have had a sit down and fronted the issues.

"I have been with this group for a long time and I have trust they can turn this around."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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