Tana Umaga

All Blacks legend and former captain, known for his sportsmanship and leadership.

Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga (born 27 May 1973) is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player and captain of the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He is the former head coach of Moana Pasifika in the Super Rugby competition, and current defence coach for the All Blacks. He was granted and uses the Samoan chiefly honorific title of Faalogo, meaning 'the listener'.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Jonathan Falefasa Umaga
Born: 27 May 1973
Birthplace: Lower Hutt, New Zealand
School: Parkway College
Height: 1.87 m / 6 ft 2 in
Weight: 100 kg / 220 lb
Position: Centre, wing

Lore & Background

Umaga was born in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand, to Samoan immigrant parents, and grew up playing rugby league. He originally aspired to play football in childhood, before being persuaded by his father to play rugby instead. He played for the Wainuiomata Lions and made the Wellington U-16 and U-17 sides, and was named in the Junior Kiwi side of 1991. That same year he signed with the Newcastle Knights but returned to New Zealand within three weeks due to homesickness, never playing a first-grade NSWRL Premiership game. In 1993 his brother Mike, who played rugby union for Manu Samoa, persuaded him to take up rugby union in 1994. The brothers played on opposite teams in a Test match between Samoa and New Zealand in 1999 during which Tana scored two tries; the All Blacks won 71–13.

Reader's Guide

Umaga played wing for the Wellington Lions in 1994 and quickly became a fixture in the starting line-up alongside his brother. He scored more tries than any other player within the team for three successive years, and in 1996 was selected for the original Hurricanes squad. He also played for Italian team Viadana Rugby in the 1994–1995 Italian season. In his second season playing for the Hurricanes he scored a New Zealand record of 12 tries (now broken by Rico Gear) and earned a call up to the national team at the expense of an ill Jonah Lomu.

He scored a try in his debut test match. With Lomu regaining his fitness, coupled with a drop in form, Umaga was dropped from the All Blacks until the 1999 season. To accommodate outside backs Umaga, Lomu, Jeff Wilson and Christian Cullen, All Black coach John Hart moved fullback Cullen into the midfield. With a new coach in Wayne Smith, Umaga became the regular wing in the All Blacks line-up.

He played in the first Bledisloe Cup match in 2000, scoring an early try. He signed a new four-year contract with the NZRU, and when Alama Ieremia took up a contract in Japan, Umaga shifted his focus to centre. After having played just one match at centre for the Hurricanes, Umaga slotted into the midfield for the All Blacks against France. The 2000 season was one of Umaga's best, with him being awarded the Kelvin Tremain Memorial Trophy for New Zealand rugby player of the year.

In 2002 and 2003, Umaga was named captain of the Wellington Lions and vice captain of the All Blacks under Anton Oliver in John Mitchell's first squad. He led the Hurricanes in 2003, taking over from Gordon Slater, under coach Colin Cooper. The Hurricanes made the semi-finals for just the second time in their history after winning a team record seven times in a row. His form earned him a spot in the All Blacks, named as vice-captain under Reuben Thorne.

In a test match against Wales on 21 June 2003, Welsh captain Colin Charvis was knocked out in a tackle from All Blacks forward Jerry Collins. Umaga stopped playing to check that Charvis had not swallowed his mouthguard, placed him in the recovery position, and for this act the Council of the International Fair Play Committee awarded Umaga the Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy for outstanding sportsmanship.