Tana Umaga

Ionatana Falefasa "Tana" Umaga (born May 27, 1973) is a New Zealand rugby union player, the current captain of the national team, the All Blacks.

Related Topics:
May 27 - 1973 - New Zealand - Rugby union - All Blacks

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Born in Lower Hutt to Samoan immigrant parents, Tana Umaga was originally a rugby league player (and an Under 19's New Zealand representative in that sport for two years). In 1992 aged 18 he had trials with NRL side Newcastle Knights but returned to New Zealand because of homesickness. He switched to union after being persuaded by his elder brother Mike, a Samoan rugby union international. The brothers met in one test match, in 1999—the All Blacks won 71-13, with Tana scoring two tries.

Related Topics:
Lower Hutt - Samoa - Rugby league - Newcastle Knights

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He first played for Wellington in the NPC in 1994 (and has captained them since 2001), has played for the Hurricanes in the Super 12 since the tournament's inception in 1996 (captaining them in the 2003-5 seasons), and was first picked for the All Blacks in 1997. Long established as a winger, he moved to playing as an outside centre at the end of 2000 and inside centre in 2002. Critics point to his move closer to the scrum as evidence of his loss of pace whilst others say that he has become more creative over time. He is acknowledged as one of the hardest tacklers in the game.

Related Topics:
Wellington - NPC - Hurricanes - Super 12 - Winger - Outside centre - Scrum

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Umaga is also respected for his sportsmanship. In a test match against Wales on June 21, 2003, Welsh captain Colin Charvis was knocked out by a tackle from All Blacks forward Jerry Collins, and Umaga stopped playing (despite his team being in an attacking position) to check that Charvis had not swallowed his tongue, and place him in the recovery position. For this act, the International Committee for Fair Play awarded Umaga the Pierre de Coubertin Trophy, an award for outstanding sportsmanship (named for Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games). The Welsh Rugby Union also presented him with a figurine to honour this display of sportsmanship.

Related Topics:
Wales - June 21 - 2003 - Colin Charvis - Jerry Collins - Recovery position - International Committee for Fair Play - Pierre de Coubertin Trophy - Pierre de Coubertin - Olympic Games - Welsh Rugby Union

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Umaga missed virtually the entire 2003 Rugby Union World Cup, after being injured in a freak collision with teammate Carlos Spencer in the opening match against Italy. He suffered a damaged posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and was forced to leave the field, not returning for the remainder of the tournament, which saw the All Blacks eliminated in the semi-finals by the Wallabies.

Related Topics:
2003 Rugby Union World Cup - Carlos Spencer - Italy - Posterior cruciate ligament - Wallabies

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However, his next outing for the All Blacks was as their captain, after he was selected to replace Reuben Thorne, becoming the first non-Maori New Zealander of Pacific Islander heritage to captain the All Blacks. Umaga's captaincy began well, with victory in the first six tests, including two against World Cup holders England (a 36-3 win in Dunedin was at that time the heaviest loss ever by a World Cup holding team), and a successful defence of the Bledisloe Cup. Unfortunately, these victories were followed by losses in away games against Australia and South Africa, putting the All Blacks out of contention for the 2004 Tri Nations Series.

Related Topics:
Reuben Thorne - Maori - Pacific Islander - England - Dunedin - Bledisloe Cup - South Africa - Tri Nations Series

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Umaga's reputation for good sportsmanship was destroyed in the first Test of the Lions tour to New Zealand on June 25, 2005. In the first minute of the match, he along with hooker Keven Mealamu combined to upend the Lions captain, Brian O'Driscoll, driving him headfirst into the ground; O'Driscoll extended one arm to save his neck but still landed heavily, suffering a dislocation of his shoulder. Although this spear tackle seems to have been anticipated by one of the serving touch judges, the independent citing commissioner (South African) found that the New Zealand players had no case to answer. But fans were appalled (even in New Zealand), not only at the nature of the tackle, but also at the dishonourable effort to dismiss it as nothing more than an accident.

Related Topics:
Lions tour to New Zealand - June 25 - 2005 - Keven Mealamu - Brian O'Driscoll - Spear tackle

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The All Black establishment pretended to be surprised at the reaction, and its supporters insisted that the tackle had been a minor infringement, weirdly pointing out that spear tackles had only recently become illegal. But the British media grew bored with the weakness of the touring party and chose to satisfy itself in the pursuit of the controversial publicist, Alastair Campbell.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2005/07/13/srhayw13.xml

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After the controversy, Umaga's reputation was reinforced by his strong captaincy during the remainder of the Lions tour and New Zealand's triumphant 2005 Tri-Nations campaign. The world governing body of rugby union, the International Rugby Board, was so impressed that they shortlisted him for their 2005 World Player of the Year award.

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European commentators have often compared Umaga to the captain of England's only world cup winning team, Martin Johnson, a man who knew when to get sent off.

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