Moana Pasifika head coach Tana Umaga is set to be named as a member of Dave Rennie’s new All Blacks coaching team, with confirmation expected from New Zealand Rugby in the coming days.
1News can reveal that Umaga will be appointed as an assistant coach and is set to play a key role in Rennie's reset of the All Blacks' cultural environment.
Umaga, who made history as the first All Blacks captain of Samoan lineage, has been head coach of Moana Pasifika since the side’s inception in 2023 after stints with the Blues, the New Zealand under-20 team and Counties-Manukau. Rennie is the first All Blacks head coach of Pasifika heritage.
The 52-year-old Umaga is in the final season of his Moana contract, with his move to the All Blacks meaning the club will have to look elsewhere for a head coach next season, or possibly promote from within. Tom Coventry, who also coached with Rennie at the Chiefs, would be an obvious choice to take on the top job at Moana Pasifika.
Umaga and Rennie have a long-standing connection through their time in Wellington and, given Rennie has publicly stated his desire to dig deep into the legacy of the All Blacks, hiring a former captain of Umaga’s standing and mana certainly ticks that box.
The appointment would signal a further changing of the guard, with Jason Ryan likely to be the one survivor from the Scott Robertson era, as suggested last week by 1News.
Most recently, Ryan was part of the New Zealand Rugby delegation to World Rugby’s "shape of the game" symposium.
Rennie has not spoken publicly about his preferred assistants, but this appointment is a signal of his intent to build his own trusted team.
That team could also include long-term collaborator Neil Barnes, who has been credited with returning Taranaki rugby to its grassroots and who has also been outspoken on the provincial unions’ role in developing players.
Tana Umaga at a glance:
Age: 52
All Blacks Tests: 74
Playing Provinces: Wellington/ Counties-Manukau
Overseas experience: Toulon (France)/Samoa (Assistant coach)
Coaching experience: Toulon/Counties-Manukau/NZ under-20/Blues/Samoa/Moana Pasifika
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