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'You never know': Former All Blacks skipper teases new Super Rugby head coach role
Former All Blacks captain and Blues assistant coach Tana Umaga isn’t staking a claim on the Moana Pasifika coaching job, but he won’t rule it out either.
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Umaga will mentor the Pacific side, which was unveiled this morning, in their clash against the Maori All Blacks on December 5 in Hamilton.
The same side are set to join the new-look Super Rugby competition in 2022 that involves 12 teams spread across New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific.
Umaga has one year remaining on his current contract with the Blues which will free him up for a potential role elsewhere the year after, should he pursue it.
He told Stuff he is happy at the Blues, but doesn’t know what the future holds.
“I know that with this kind of opportunity [at Moana Pasifika] in 2022, there’s going to be some great coaches that will put their hands up,” he says.
“It will definitely be something to be part of, but I have to say that I’m very happy with where I am at the Blues.
“I know it [Moana Pasifika] will be in good hands. [But] if it’s there and the timing is good you never know what will happen.”
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The Auckland franchise will, likely, be strong-willed on keeping Umaga in the fold beyond next year. The 47-year-old’s time with them has been for the most part fruitful.
After some turbulent early years filtered with promising moments, the team showed signs of improvement in 2019 breaking winless droughts against New Zealand sides, before emerging as a legitimate contender in Super Rugby in 2020.
Players and pundits have called for the Moana Pasifika vs Maori All Blacks clash to become an annual fixture on the New Zealand Rugby calendar. #MoanaPasifika #MaoriAllBlacks https://t.co/RiTWxKCXq6
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 24, 2020
They finished second on the Super Rugby Aotearoa ladder behind the Crusaders, and are set to give the southerners another run for their money in 2021.
“We’re just starting to see the fruits of some hard labour from the players and some hard-working people at the club that have stuck with it,” Umaga says.
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“Our boys are maturing and you can see now that we’re creating some All Blacks and we’ve got a great coaching staff here.
“We’d like to try and take it another step forward and get to the final next year.”
Umaga’s head coaching career began with Toulon in 2008, before moving onto Counties Manukau as an assistant and then head coach. During his time with the Steelers he oversaw their promotion in to the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership.
His tenure with the Blues began in 2016.
For the meantime, Umaga’s focus will move to the cohort of Pasifika talents he will need to bring together to take down the Maori All Blacks.
The team is filled with Super Ruby and Mitre 10 Cup talent, including Josh Ioane, Vince Aso, Stephen Perofeta, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Sione Mafileo and Folau Fakatava.
“We have got a few young guys who are knocking on that All Blacks door, so there’s still that opportunity,” Umaga said.
The Queensland Rugby Union has today announced the Queensland Reds have signed teenage flyhalf Tom Lynagh, son of Wallabies great Michael. #QueenslandReds https://t.co/NXydXD8vYR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 23, 2020
“For us they were just players that you couldn’t leave out.
“Marino [Mikaele-Tu’u], Folau Fakatava, Sione Mafileo in terms of what he has done with that North Harbour pack, Leicester Fainga’anuku…young men who still have [All Blacks} aspirations I’m sure.
“And yet from our point of view they were some of the form players in the competition.
“I had to play against Sitiveni [Sivivatu] and Sione [Lauaki] before they became All Blacks and they made it hard work for us on that night [in 2004] and I remember that clearly.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
If they win the challenge Cup then it will have all been worth it. If they don’t, then maybe he should go. Lots of ppl seem to think very highly of him as a coach, but maybe he would be better working under someone. Any top sides looking for forwards coaches rn?
1 Go to commentsJason Ryan knows his craft as forwards coach and I'm sure he’ll hold sway with Scott Robertson of who he feels worthy of selection…his credentials validated when he put a 7xcaps between them front row...Ethan, Samisoni and Lomax on Ellis Park…Go the AB's…
4 Go to commentsFascinating. I’m optimistic about a team coached by Schmiddy, Cron and Parling
12 Go to commentsI think if Blackadder is fit, he has to be in the team. If he isn’t, Finau would be good, and I always thought Akira deserved more of a crack at it. I think he looked better than ppl gave him credit.
4 Go to commentsThanks again Nick and interesting comments from Parling about his lineout preferences. Bearing in mind what Schmidt has said about prioritising Oz based players initially we may not see Skeleton until the EOY trip to Ireland and the UK. To me that suggests that Cale has to be ready by then. In the meantime we get 3 jumpers by having 2 jumping locks and a Wright/Swinton/Holloway/Leota type of guy at 6. I think that he (Parling) would do well to coach Valentini and Wilson to jump more. Surely they could learn more about this?
12 Go to commentsdo what the ABs normally do and cruise around the South Pacific to cherry-pick the contenders
4 Go to commentsGood read, GP comes across as a very knowledgeable guy and pretty decent human to boot! Genuinely leaves me wondering though, how Australia’s second city could be in with a serious possibility of being left without a pro team. Just how does that get to happen? Credit to the team though, they’re performing pretty well under some horrible circumstances and pressure on their livelihoods. Whoever made the call to boot out DR, his staff and the structure/connections/succession plans he had put in place in unbelievably short order needs strung up by their most sensitive body parts. Thought that at the time and of course, events unfolded even worse than feared!
12 Go to commentsCan’t see an appetite to pick Brad Shields for obvious reasons, but Devan Flanders has got to be in with a shout.
4 Go to commentsThe rise of Hunter Paisami! Good read Nick (as ever). Cheers.
12 Go to commentsAs a long term glos supporter saturday was the last straw. Terrible run of results in league since Jan 23. No excuses , there are 3 conclusions Players simply arent good enough. Coaching team not good enough. Or combination of the 2. Either way glos lost pride in what used to be a team others feared.
1 Go to commentsWhat an interesting article, Nick. Late here, so will comment tomorrow am. “In the UK, you might have three whole months when you train set-piece and it’s pissing down. Over here, we very rarely experience games severely affected by weather..” Did you see the Waratahs game on the weekend ? If not have a look at the weather for that struck that one. Drowning would have a been a worry for any player trapped at the bottomof a pile up. Suspect the water polo people might be looking with interest at some of those rugby players after that game😀
12 Go to commentsThis article overlooks how the 9 position has developed to be a playmaker, which these 2 are both excellent at. Defences are so good now there is not the luxury of going 9 -> 10 on every play. Playing “off 9” as they say, has become very commonplace these days, but 10+ years ago you hardly saw this. Boiling the great modern 9s down to box kicking doesn’t do justice to how good the great ones have become. Dupont would be the first choice 10 in most teams in the world, JGP pops up in places you would never expect a 9 to be.
22 Go to commentsThe banning of the croc roll will make carrying the ball into contact far more risky, leading to more kicking, and the change to the Dupont law will mean forwards have to do far more running than they do now. As a result I think there will be a rise of smaller, more mobile forwards who are strong defenders and strong over the ball like Kirifi.
3 Go to commentsWhat does the ownership of the club have to do with the poor performance of the team. It’s not as if he’s coaching them or in any way influencing the composition of the teams. I honestly don’t understand the comment.
1 Go to commentsHe knows his body is not up to the work load of international rugby. The fact that Cane only played only 27 of the 46 games the ABs played while he was officially captain is a telling statistic. And that excludes the time he had out with neck injury. He was never able to put a long enough body of work together to get back to his best without a new injury setting him back. He knows better than anyone that the problem will get worse, not better, given the same workload. Correct decision and good luck to him.
10 Go to commentsWith three clubs it's surely death by oligopoly!😂 I suspect that other french clubs like Montpellier rich enough to compete, they are just missing some vital ingredients. Do you think that keeping an eight player bench but only being allowed to use four would level the playing field a bit? The 12 changes rule sounds disastrous for running rugby.
124 Go to commentsNice article
32 Go to commentsSurely they aren’t that short of 10s in the northern hemisphere?
1 Go to commentsBest wishes to a true warrior who gave everything for his team and country. He was no McCaw but the closest we've had in recent years in terms putting his head into dark places, leading the defensive line and securing the attacking breakdown - the core roles of a modern open side. If only he could have played more tests under Foster and Plumtree with blindsides who fulfilled their core roles. 2027 was always going to be a long shot. Hopefully Papalii fulfils the promise of 2021 and late 2022 and/or Lakai turns out to be as good as he looks.
10 Go to commentsFair play to him. A lot of exciting talent coming up in the loose forward position, can’t wait to see the next generation.
10 Go to comments