KEY POINTS:
Tana Umaga should be celebrating the launch of his new autobiography, but instead the former All Black captain is mourning the death of his beloved father who persuaded him to swap soccer for rugby.
Last night the centre known for his crunching tackles told how the last few days had been tough on him and his family, but paid tribute to the impact his father had on shaping his rugby career.
Paegauo "Falefasa" Ropati Umaga, who died on Saturday aged 77, decided his son would make a far better All Black than an All White although the young Umaga's passion was soccer.
"I wanted to play soccer for the school but so did everybody else: they had so many kids they had to pick names out of a hat and I missed out," Umaga said in his autobiography Tana Umaga Up Close.
"I asked Dad if I could play club soccer and he took me down to the mall to enrol me in rugby. Seven years old and already an ex-soccer player," he said.
When a teenage Umaga showed promise in rugby league his father nearly disowned him, said sister Janice.
"But he was sneaky, Dad: 'If you loved me, you'd give it up.' He wouldn't talk to Tana for a while because he played rugby league but every time Tana had a game you'd see Dad's car somewhere around and you'd know he'd be hidden behind a tree or something."
Umaga, who last night launched a foundation named after himself to help children excel in sports, the arts and academics in Wellington, said he and his father "didn't talk much".
"He was a factory worker who worked hard and devoted much of his spare time to church activities," he said.
But the popular former Hurricanes centre, who now coaches in Toulon, France, said his father was a big part of his success in the game.
"My parents made a lot of sacrifices for their children. I may be a public success story, but a lot of that is due to them. All their children have benefited from the sacrifice they made by leaving their homes and families in Samoa to make a better life for their children in New Zealand."
The book details how Mr Umaga, who wrestled with the likes of Steve Rickard, John Da Silva and Brutal Bob Miller before retiring from the sport in his 40s, was humble in his reaction to his son's elevation to the All Black captaincy in 2004.
"We don't want to show off; we just sit quietly," he said.
Umaga told Close Up last night that his father, who is lying in state at Wainuiomata Marae and will be buried at Taita Cemetery tomorrow, was a man of few words, but was always a driving force for him.
"He was so proud of us. Not just me, but all the family.
"He had a big heart."
He said the two days since his father's death had been tough, but his father had had a good life.
"There's been so much support from everyone. He was a well-liked person."
In the book, Mr Umaga said his son was "a good boy".
"He's been a great help to us. He always wants to help with money."
