Umaga puts family ahead of game

Tana Umaga yesterday walked away from the All Blacks with no regrets and happy to have been master of his own destiny.

The Hurricanes' midfield back broke the worst-kept rugby secret by announcing he was retiring, after captaining the All Blacks in 21 tests and playing 74 internationals.

At 32, Umaga reckons physically he could keep going until the 2007 World Cup, but all the peripheral on and off-field obligations were too much, with the training and time involved.

And the pull of family was getting stronger. He wants more time with his family and to concentrate on helping the Hurricanes and Wellington.

To that end, Umaga has received an exemption from the New Zealand Rugby Union rule that stipulates all NZRU-contracted players must be available for All Black selection.

Umaga told his teammates his decision a few minutes after his final test, the 29-10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield on November 27, which completed the Grand Slam. The Herald chief rugby writer, Wynne Gray, alone reported the day before that test that Umaga had decided to retire.

Selector Wayne Smith said yesterday players cried when Umaga told them his decision. Umaga quipped that he didn't see that as "I was the one who had tears in my eyes".

But he was happy to have departed on his own terms.

"You always want to have control of your life," he said yesterday. "I'd love to play for the rest of my life, but I can't do that. I just believe this was the best time, and one thing's for sure, it is a great time to go out.

"But even if this year [2005] didn't turn out like it did [11 wins out of 12 tests] I'd probably still have come up with this decision."

However, Umaga conceded that had the World Cup been at the end of this year, it would have had a bearing on his decision. He may have pushed on for one final year.

Umaga began as a tearaway wing before moving inside to reinvent himself as a hard-running, muscular attacker and robust centre without peer in the international game.

In his final year he led the All Blacks to a series win over the Lions, to the Tri-Nations title, to retention of the Bledisloe Cup and the Grand Slam.

The Lions' tour was overshadowed by his involvement in the tour-ending tackle on his opposite, Brian O'Driscoll, in the opening minute of the first test in Christchurch. He copped a mountain of flak and it left a sour taste in his final months.

"I have no regrets about anything in my past. I can't change it, you just have to move on and live with it.

"You make the best with what you've got, and if you can live with yourself for doing your best and being the best person you can be, you've got to be happy with that."

Umaga, Smith and head coach Graham Henry all referred to the dreadlocked Umaga's growth as a person over his years as an All Black.

"I've taken experiences from everything and everyone I've been in contact with in this environment, and it's made me a better person, and hopefully my kids can reap the benefit."

Umaga has no plans to head overseas in the immediate future - but did leave the door ajar by adding, "You never know".

He revealed he had been "a bit scared" of the All Black captaincy when he took it on in 2004. But by last year he found that he enjoyed it, and being able to lean on the senior group of players and management made the job easier.

Henry reckoned Umaga, the first Pacific Islander to captain the All Blacks, would be remembered as a great player and someone who became a fine captain.

"Put those two things together and you've got a pretty important person in the All Black mix," Henry said. "To replace that will be impossible, but somebody's got to play No 13 and I'm sure they'll do very well."

Henry said it was hard to try to persuade Umaga to change his mind considering he felt it was a sound decision his captain had made.

"It's a very mature decision and a reflection on the guy. He's got his priorities right."

Those priorities include spending more time with his family, wife Rochelle, son Cade, 12, and daughters Gabrielle, 5, and Lily-Kate, 16 months.

"There's things you can't catch up on. My children are probably the driving force in my life right now and I believe it's time for me to go back there and do what's best for them."