Umaga reaches new heights

Tana Umaga

LONDON - Tana Umaga's had quite a week. He's hung out with the Queen and the Prime Minister, helped win New Zealand hosting rights to a rugby World Cup, and led the All Blacks to an epic win over England.

Another leaf in his bulging CV seems assured in the next seven days: All Blacks Grand Slam-winning captain, which his former Wellington coach Graham Mourie is the only other to achieve.

The question is, will he lead them on to Murrayfield against an ordinary Scotland side as the All Blacks chase their first Grand Slam in 27 years?

Coach Graham Henry names his team on Wednesday morning (NZT), a likely second-string lineup containing the safety net of a few experienced heads.

It used to be a touchy subject for Umaga, being rested from test matches, and he still remains deadpan when discussing the prospect of potentially missing the coup de grace of the tour.

"I'm not really looking forward, I'm just buggered at the moment," he said.

"I'll just enjoy this and relax, take some time to reflect on today. It's been a great week for New Zealand."

Due in no small part to Umaga's input.

The tour began with Umaga in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, the Brian O'Driscoll tackle a big talking point on arrival in Cardiff and continued into Ireland.

Security around the team was increased as concern for Umaga's safety rose.

Then things turned for the better on arrival in London.

He ushered the team into Buckingham Palace and introduced the Queen to his 34 teammates, and shared a few laughs with Prince William.

Then it was back to Dublin for the New Zealand push for World Cup 2011.

His emotive three-minute speech caused a big stir and in combination with Prime Minister Helen Clark and legend Colin Meads helped nail it for New Zealand.

To top it off he got the feel for a potential career in politics as he sat in on Clark's 20 minute meet-and-greet with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern.

Yesterday the All Blacks were under pressure for the first time all tour -- they had barely touched the ball when England captain Martin Corry scored the first try and the Twickenham crowd's roars added to a hostile atmosphere.

But Umaga, with help from his right-hand-man and team enforcer Jerry Collins, rallied the troops when England stormed back as three yellow cards reduced the All Blacks to 14 men for the final 23 minutes.

"We just talked about looking after each other, dig deep and back our defence," Umaga said.

"There's a lot of bloody heads in our forward pack, they chucked their bodies on the line and that's what we needed."

Henry and his fellow selectors will assess the battered and bruised today before finalising their team.

Aaron Mauger, who put in a surprisingly patchy performance, was said to have a shoulder injury and will likely miss the Scotland match.

With Conrad Smith almost certain to come in at centre, it leaves the question of whether Umaga or Ma'a Nonu partners him in midfield.

Another question is whether Richie McCaw is fit to play after ongoing problems from a head knock, and where to fit in youngster Isaea Toeava, the only player yet to take the field here.

- NZPA