Latest news with #Umaga
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Umaga joins Kefu on coaching team for the First Nations and Pasifika team to take on the Lions
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The First Nations and Pasifika squad to take on the British and Irish Lions in July will have an experienced coaching staff representative of the region, led by former Wallabies forward and Tonga coach Toutai Kefu and including ex-All Blacks captain Tana Umaga. Kefu was appointed last week as head coach and Rugby Australia confirmed the rest of the coaching team on Monday, including Umaga, former Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu, former Wallabies fullback Glen Ella and former Fiji test forward and coach Simon Raiwalui. Advertisement Umaga was born in New Zealand to Samoan parents and played 74 tests for the All Blacks before an extensive coaching career that led to him guiding Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific. He has history with the Lions, with his tackle on Brian O'Driscoll in the 2005 series in New Zealand being one of the most scrutinized moments of that tour. Glen Ella and his brothers Mark and Gary, First Nations players from Sydney, played for Australia's Wallabies in the 1980s before he went into coaching. Rugby Australia's high performance director Peter Horne said the coaching staff brought extensive coaching and cultural experience to the combined squad that will play the touring Lions in Melbourne on July 22, between the first and second tests. 'The rugby will be intense and competitive and the societal impact immense as First Nations and Pasifika cultures are celebrated on one of world sport's grandest stages," Horne said. 'Together, (the coaches) represent the best of rugby and the First Nations and Pasifika cultures.' ___ AP rugby:
Winnipeg Free Press
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Umaga joins Kefu on coaching team for the First Nations and Pasifika team to take on the Lions
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The First Nations and Pasifika squad to take on the British and Irish Lions in July will have an experienced coaching staff representative of the region, led by former Wallabies forward and Tonga coach Toutai Kefu and including ex-All Blacks captain Tana Umaga. Kefu was appointed last week as head coach and Rugby Australia confirmed the rest of the coaching team on Monday, including Umaga, former Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu, former Wallabies fullback Glen Ella and former Fiji test forward and coach Simon Raiwalui. Umaga was born in New Zealand to Samoan parents and played 74 tests for the All Blacks before an extensive coaching career that led to him guiding Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific. He has history with the Lions, with his tackle on Brian O'Driscoll in the 2005 series in New Zealand being one of the most scrutinized moments of that tour. Glen Ella and his brothers Mark and Gary, First Nations players from Sydney, played for Australia's Wallabies in the 1980s before he went into coaching. Rugby Australia's high performance director Peter Horne said the coaching staff brought extensive coaching and cultural experience to the combined squad that will play the touring Lions in Melbourne on July 22, between the first and second tests. 'The rugby will be intense and competitive and the societal impact immense as First Nations and Pasifika cultures are celebrated on one of world sport's grandest stages,' Horne said. 'Together, (the coaches) represent the best of rugby and the First Nations and Pasifika cultures.' ___ AP rugby:
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Savea turnover caps off Moana heroics
Ardie Savea, of Moana Pasifika, celebrates after winning against the Blues, in Auckland, on Saturday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES Ardie Savea came up with a clutch turnover for Moana Pasifika to knock off their cross-city rivals the Blues 27-21 in a big encounter at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday night. Needing a converted try to win with time up on the clock, the Blues hammered away at the line until their inspirational captain sealed the victory. The win puts Moana sixth on the Super Rugby Pacific table, while the Blues, the defending champions, are now seventh on the table. Down by three at halftime, Moana surged home with a hat-trick to winger Kyren Taumoefolau — who was electric on the left wing — to keep their playoff hopes alive. Moana first five Patrick Pellegrini banged over four penalties in the victory. The Blues had tries to Patrick Tuipulotu and Hoskins Sotutu, and a penalty try. Moana coach Tana Umanga and Savea fought hard to contain their emotions as they described what the victory meant. "We heard a lot of things after the last game and we had a talk about it, how we motivate ourselves," Umaga said. "We heard some of the narratives coming out of their camp around things. "Ardie talked to me and said we look to the light and be the light, and I think tonight we shone bright." Umaga said the players had built a lot of self-belief and faith, trusting their processes and one another, which helped them get the win. "For us, I think we just stuck to the plan," he said. "We had a lot of belief. This week we prepared really well and we've just been building throughout the season. "We knew these three games are going to be tough for us. "Our guys are really growing and I know they will grow again." The Fijian Drua had a big 38-7 win against the Western Force in their last home game of the year in Lautoka. Sio Tomkinson scored in the opening three minutes for the Force to go up 7-0 early. But the Drua piled on 38 unanswered points — and led 17-7 at the break — to secure the victory. In Australia, it took the Brumbies until the 47th minute to break the deadlock against the Reds. With the game level 7-7 at halftime, the Brumbies surged ahead through Andy Murihead's try to eventually win 24-14. The Brumbies are top of the table on 43 points. — RNZ/APL
CNA
05-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Pasifika rising as Savea's Moana move into playoff contention
Moana Pasifika endured a torrid time after their introduction to Super Rugby in 2022 but the team established to provide a pathway for players from the Pacific islands has hit its stride this season with skipper Ardie Savea leading the way. The Auckland-based team won only seven of 42 games over their first three seasons but on Sunday secured their fifth of the current campaign with a maiden victory over the Otago Highlanders in a Dunedin thriller. Moana have also beaten 14-time champions Canterbury Crusaders and New South Wales' Waratahs for the first time this year. Sunday's win took them to sixth on the table, good enough for a place in the playoffs if they can hold onto it. "Just proud, proud of everything that we've achieved," Tana Umaga, Moana's coach of the last two seasons, told reporters after the game. "We've put ourselves in a position where we're competing to be in the top six, and we're pretty happy about it." Former All Blacks captain Umaga was particularly pleased with the manner of the 34-29 victory, which was secured off a charged down kick in the final few minutes. "The way we won today was just a lot of grit and guts, it wasn't a pretty game," Umaga added. "But knowing that we can win like that is good for us, because it does give you belief that when we knuckle down and just work together and trust everything that we're about, we're going to get results like that." Savea, the All Blacks number eight and 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year, made a shock switch to Moana for this season and has been in sensational form, adding another brilliant individual try on Sunday. Like Umaga, Savea and his All Black brother Julian were born in New Zealand to Samoan migrant parents and represent a core of players from the Pacific islands diaspora in the squad. Others, like Melani Matavao, the scrumhalf whose try secured Sunday's victory, and flanker Miracle Fai'ilagi, who has been in impressive form this year, are "straight from the islands", in Umaga's words. Together they have forged a hard-nosed team that now sits only two wins from a first post-season campaign, although their run-in looks particularly tough. After a bye next week, they host Umaga's old team, the reigning champions Auckland Blues, before closing out the season with away games at the tournament-leading Waikato Chiefs and Wellington Hurricanes, Savea's old club. "This is when the good teams stand up, at the back end of seasons," said Umaga. "We've got some guys that have been here before and are experienced around that. And knowing that we can have confidence in who we are, we've just got to make sure that we execute our game. That's the key thing for us."
The Star
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Pasifika rising as Savea's Moana move into playoff contention
(Reuters) -Moana Pasifika endured a torrid time after their introduction to Super Rugby in 2022 but the team established to provide a pathway for players from the Pacific islands has hit its stride this season with skipper Ardie Savea leading the way. The Auckland-based team won only seven of 42 games over their first three seasons but on Sunday secured their fifth of the current campaign with a maiden victory over the Otago Highlanders in a Dunedin thriller. Moana have also beaten 14-time champions Canterbury Crusaders and New South Wales' Waratahs for the first time this year. Sunday's win took them to sixth on the table, good enough for a place in the playoffs if they can hold onto it. "Just proud, proud of everything that we've achieved," Tana Umaga, Moana's coach of the last two seasons, told reporters after the game. "We've put ourselves in a position where we're competing to be in the top six, and we're pretty happy about it." Former All Blacks captain Umaga was particularly pleased with the manner of the 34-29 victory, which was secured off a charged down kick in the final few minutes. "The way we won today was just a lot of grit and guts, it wasn't a pretty game," Umaga added. "But knowing that we can win like that is good for us, because it does give you belief that when we knuckle down and just work together and trust everything that we're about, we're going to get results like that." Savea, the All Blacks number eight and 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year, made a shock switch to Moana for this season and has been in sensational form, adding another brilliant individual try on Sunday. Like Umaga, Savea and his All Black brother Julian were born in New Zealand to Samoan migrant parents and represent a core of players from the Pacific islands diaspora in the squad. Others, like Melani Matavao, the scrumhalf whose try secured Sunday's victory, and flanker Miracle Fai'ilagi, who has been in impressive form this year, are "straight from the islands", in Umaga's words. Together they have forged a hard-nosed team that now sits only two wins from a first post-season campaign, although their run-in looks particularly tough. After a bye next week, they host Umaga's old team, the reigning champions Auckland Blues, before closing out the season with away games at the tournament-leading Waikato Chiefs and Wellington Hurricanes, Savea's old club. "This is when the good teams stand up, at the back end of seasons," said Umaga. "We've got some guys that have been here before and are experienced around that. And knowing that we can have confidence in who we are, we've just got to make sure that we execute our game. That's the key thing for us." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
