Ex-All Black’s verdict on Tana Umaga appointment and why he will be at the ‘forefront’ of World Cup charge
Tana Umaga and an inset of ex-All Blacks fly-half Lima Sopoaga.
Former All Blacks fly-half Lima Sopoaga believes that Tana Umaga will be a vital member of Dave Rennie’s coaching team with the World Cup on the horizon.
The legendary centre and former captain will look after the team’s defence in the new coaching team that features Scotsman Mike Blair, Taranaki boss Neil Barnes, while Jason Ryan is the sole survivor from Scott Robertson’s regime.
Umaga stepped into coaching before he officially hung up his boots and has worked with the likes of RC Toulon, Counties Manukau, New Zealand U20s, the Blues, Samoa and Moana Pasifika. He held the top gig at Toulon, Counties, the Blues and Moana Pasifika but has always maintained a control of sorts on the respective team’s defences.
Tana Umaga’s aura and style of coaching
During his time assisting Samoa, he worked with former All Blacks fly-half Sopoaga, who provided a glowing review upon his appointment in Rennie’s coaching team.
“I was lucky enough to be coached by Tana at the 2023 World Cup with Samoa,” the now-retired fly-half told Sky Sport NZ’s Breakdown show.
“It’s just his aura. He has this massive aura that follows him around and the way that players connect with him on a personal level and at a rugby level really helps his coaching.”
The 35-year-old says that Umaga will be a coach that players can lean on as they build towards the Rugby World Cup and highlighted more of his strengths as a coach.
“It’s probably what the All Blacks have missed in the last couple of years is that real connection, the connection with each other, maybe the connection with the people that watch the game, who support the game, all those kinds of things,” Sopoaga continued.
“For me, Tana is someone who brings all of that. He brings connection. He brings culture. He brings the knowledge of coaching at Toulon, the Blues and in difficult situations as well. Moana aren’t going great at the moment. So all those things help build character and build resilience and I think that’s probably somebody that the boys can lean on heading into the next two years.”
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Asked what kind of coach Umaga is, Sopoaga replied: “For me, I don’t really do much defence and he is a defence coach. I don’t like tackling, so I tried to stay away from him as much as I possibly could.
“But he knows what he’s talking about. He’s very detailed. He understands the game very, very well and I think just the way he can communicate to the players, bring his ideas across and hopefully bring something new to the group will help this team push forward and go to the heights that we know and believe that they can because the All Blacks team is talented. They are gifted. We just probably have lost our way lately and it’s exciting to hopefully see Tana be at the forefront to lead us back.”
“He doesn’t really strike me as a heavy detail coach”
Ex-Highlanders and Māori All Blacks lock Joe Wheeler joined Sopoaga on the show and was particularly intrigued by one of his former teammate’s comments about Umaga.
“I’m interested in that comment that he is so detailed,” he said.
“He doesn’t really strike me as a heavy detail coach, but that’s great to hear because I just thought he’d be more of a system framework, but really dialling in on the attitudes of players and the togetherness of players, because that’s the essence of defence in many respects, but also dialling in on the brutality of defence.
“That’s what I think his trademarks are as a player, and hopefully that’ll translate into his coaching style for this All Black team.”
