Nonu, 44, performs solo haka in response to All Blacks

New Zealand great Ma'a Nonu performed a solo haka in response to the All Blacks' haka before his Sharks side fell to a heavy defeat in Durban.

The All Blacks continued their tour of South Africa with a resounding 54-0 victory, though what happened pre-match will go down in rugby union folklore.

After New Zealand performed their usual Ka Mate haka, Nonu stepped in front of his Sharks team-mates and responded with Kapa o Pango, the All Blacks' alternative haka.

The 44-year-old played 104 matches for New Zealand between 2003 and 2015, and was part of the side that won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015.

He joined Durban-based Sharks earlier this month to help develop their young players, but a series of injuries and Springbok call-ups saw him called up to the bench.

"On behalf of myself and my family, I thought it was the right thing to do, to answer the boys and the All Blacks," Nonu told SuperSport TV.

"It was such a privilege and an honour, and to do the haka, showing my respect on behalf of my family to the team I love.

"I got nearly 20 minutes off the bench. I tried my best. It was great to see the New Zealand boys."

Nonu, who in 2016 was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to rugby, spoke to the All Blacks before deciding to perform the solo haka.

"We knew the Ma'a haka was coming," said All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie.

"Ma'a came and saw our defence coach Tana Umaga last night and said he wanted to be respectful and queried about the right way to respond to the haka."

Sharks head coach JP Pietersen praised the impact Nonu has had off the field since joining the team and revealed the veteran was "nervous" about doing a haka alone.

Nonu came off the bench with a quarter to go and landed a big hit on fly-half Ruben Love, who was two years old when Nonu made his New Zealand debut in 2003.

In a series billed as 'the Greatest Rivalry', the All Blacks kicked off their tour of South Africa with a 38-21 win over the Stormers last weekend.

They take on the Bulls on Saturday, with the first game of the four-Test series against the Springboks on 22 August.

New Zealand then face the Lions on 25 August before the three remaining Springbok Tests on 29 August, 5 and 12 of September, with the last of those Tests taking place in Baltimore, USA.