Tana Umaga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tana Umaga

Umaga in 2005
Birth name	Jonathan Falefasa Umaga
Date of birth	(1973-05-27) 27 May 1973 (age 52)
Place of birth	Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	100 kg (220 lb)
School	Parkway College
Notable relative(s)	Mike Umaga (brother) Jerry Collins (cousin) Jacob Umaga (nephew) Peter Umaga-Jensen (nephew) Thomas Umaga-Jensen (nephew) Tu Umaga-Marshall (nephew)
Spouse	Rochelle Umaga
Children	4
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre, wing Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1994–2005 Petone Rugby Club () 2005–2006 Toulon 7 (10) Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 1994–2007 Wellington 100 (260) 2010 Counties Manukau 10 (5) Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 1996–2007 Hurricanes 122 (235) 2011 Chiefs 7 (5) National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1997–2005 New Zealand 74 (180) Teams coached Years Team 2008–2009 Toulon 2010–2011 Counties Manukau (assistant) 2012–2015 Counties Manukau 2015 New Zealand under-20 (assistant) 2016–2018 Blues (Head Coach) 2021–2023 Samoa (assistant) 2023- Moana Pasifika
Rugby league career
Playing information
Position	Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1991–92 Wainuiomata Lions 1993–94 Newcastle Knights Total 0 0 0 0 0 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1992 Wellington

Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga is a famous New Zealand rugby player and coach. He was once the captain of New Zealand's national rugby team, the All Blacks. He is currently the head coach for the Moana Pasifika team in the Super Rugby competition. Tana Umaga also holds a special Samoan title, Faʻalogo, which means "the listener."

Tana played for the Hurricanes from 1996 and became their captain in 2003. In 2004, he was chosen to be the captain of the All Blacks. Under his leadership, the All Blacks won 19 out of 22 games. This included a big win against the British & Irish Lions and a Grand Slam in 2005. After playing 74 Test matches and scoring 36 tries, Umaga retired from international rugby at the end of 2005. He later played a few games for the Wellington Lions in 2007 to reach 100 matches for his home province. After that, he became a coach for the Toulon team in France.

In 2008–09, while coaching Toulon, Umaga even returned to playing for a short time to help the team avoid being moved down a league. He then stayed on as an assistant coach. In 2010, he returned to New Zealand to be a player-coach for Counties Manukau and played for the Waikato Chiefs in 2011.

Early Life and Rugby Beginnings

Umaga plaque in Jackson Street, Petone

Tana Umaga was born in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. His parents were immigrants from Samoa. Growing up, he mostly played rugby league. He first wanted to play soccer, but his father encouraged him to try rugby instead.

Tana played for the Wainuiomata Lions rugby league team. He was selected for the Wellington Under-16 and Under-17 teams. In 1991, he was part of the Junior Kiwi team, which included future stars like Ruben Wiki. He signed with the Newcastle Knights in Australia but returned to New Zealand soon after because he missed home. He never played a top-level game in Australia.

In 1993, his brother Mike Umaga, who played rugby union for Manu Samoa, convinced Tana to switch to rugby union in 1994. The brothers even played against each other in a Test match between Samoa and New Zealand in 1999. Tana scored two tries in that game, which the All Blacks won.

Rugby Union Career Highlights

Playing for Wellington and Hurricanes

Tana Umaga started playing as a wing for the Wellington Lions in 1994. He quickly became a regular player. For three years in a row, he scored more tries than anyone else on his team. In 1996, he was chosen for the first-ever Hurricanes squad.

He also played for an Italian team, Viadana Rugby, in the 1994–1995 season. In his second season with the Hurricanes, he scored 12 tries, which was a New Zealand record at the time. This led to him being called up to the national team, the All Blacks, when Jonah Lomu was unwell. Tana scored a try in his very first Test match.

Becoming a Regular All Black

In 2000, with a new coach, Tana Umaga became a regular wing for the All Blacks. The team had a huge win against Tonga, scoring 102–0. He also played in the first Bledisloe Cup match of 2000, which was called "the game of the century," where he scored an early try.

After signing a new contract, Umaga decided to move from playing on the wing to playing in the centre position. This was a big change, even though he had scored 9 tries in 7 Test matches on the wing that year. He played his first match at centre for the All Blacks against France and had a strong game, helping his team win. The year 2000 was one of Umaga's best, and he won the Kelvin Tremain Memorial Trophy for New Zealand rugby player of the year.

Sportsmanship and World Cup

In a Test match against Wales in 2003, the Welsh captain Colin Charvis was knocked out. Tana Umaga stopped playing, even though his team was in a good attacking position, to check on Charvis and make sure he was safe. For this amazing act of sportsmanship, Tana was given the Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy. He was the first New Zealander to receive this award.

Umaga was named captain of the Hurricanes in 2003, leading them to the semi-finals for only the second time. His great form earned him a spot as vice-captain for the All Blacks, who were preparing for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks had a fantastic run, winning the Tri Nations title and the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 1997.

During the opening match of the 2003 World Cup, Umaga unfortunately injured his knee and could not play for the rest of the tournament. The All Blacks lost in the semi-finals without him.

Captaining the All Blacks: 2004 and 2005

After the World Cup, Graham Henry became the new All Blacks coach. He chose Tana Umaga as his first captain. Tana was the first New Zealander of Pacific Island heritage to captain the All Blacks in a Test match. His captaincy started very well, with six wins in a row, including two victories against the World Cup champions, England. The All Blacks also won back the Bledisloe Cup in 2004.

In 2004, Tana Umaga also became the first New Zealand rugby player who was not of Māori descent to lead the Haka before a match. This made him the leader for the pre-match Haka.

In 2005, the British & Irish Lions toured New Zealand. The All Blacks won every game during this tour and also won the Tri-Nations. Tana Umaga was nominated for the 2005 International Player of the Year award. He also led the All Blacks to their second Grand Slam in the Northern Hemisphere.

After playing 74 Test matches for New Zealand, Tana Umaga announced his retirement from international rugby in January 2006. He wanted to spend more time with his family. Richie McCaw took over as captain after him.

Later Playing Career

For the 2006 Super 14 season, Tana Umaga passed the Hurricanes captaincy to Rodney So'oialo to focus on his own game. The Hurricanes reached the semi-finals again. In 2006, Tana Umaga was honored with the title of Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to rugby.

He then signed with the French club Toulon. He played seven matches for Toulon, helping them improve their position in the league. He returned to New Zealand in 2007 and played his last season for the Hurricanes. In 2011, Umaga made a brief return to Super Rugby, playing seven games for the Chiefs. He officially retired as a player at the end of the 2011 ITM Cup season.

Leading the Haka

Tana Umaga led the All Blacks in performing the Ka Mate version of the Haka before many Test matches. He was also the first to lead the team in the newer Kapa o pango version of the Haka in 2005 against South Africa. He led the Kapa o Pango Haka two times in total.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Tana Umaga moved into coaching. During the 2008–09 season, he coached Toulon in France. He later became a player-coach for Counties Manukau in New Zealand in 2010.

In June 2015, it was announced that Tana Umaga would become the head coach of The Blues team for the 2016 Super Rugby competition. He held this position from 2016 to 2018. After that, he continued to be part of the coaching team as the Defence coach.

In June 2023, it was announced that Umaga would take over as the head coach of the Moana Pasifika rugby team for the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season. In 2025, Tana Umaga was inducted into the Pasifika Rugby Hall of Fame.

Family and Personal Life

Tana Umaga comes from a family of rugby players. His brother Mike Umaga played for Samoa in both rugby union and rugby league. His cousin Jerry Collins was also an All Black. Several of his nephews, including Peter Umaga-Jensen and Thomas Umaga-Jensen, have also played rugby at a high level.

Tana is married to Rochelle, and they have four children together.

After retiring from professional rugby, Tana Umaga started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In 2022, he won a silver medal at a major competition and was later promoted to black belt in the sport.

There is even an aviation waypoint named after him! The UMAGA waypoint is located near Wellington Airport in New Zealand. It helps planes find their way when approaching the airport.

See also

In Spanish: Tana Umaga para niños