Wellington 37 Manawatu 7
KEY POINTS:
He played only about an hour but this match was always going to be one of those rarities where it was more about a man than the result.
Even the players of both teams stopped and watched as Tana Umaga left the field at Westpac Stadium for the last time, taking the plaudits of a 20,000 crowd.
Still and all, it's been a long goodbye. First the All Blacks, then the Super 14 and now a farewell to all rugby with his 100th and final match for Wellington.
And if he didn't score his 60th try for Wellington, it barely mattered, least of all to a smiling Umaga who shyly acknowledged the crowd and then embraced team-mates on the sideline.
Wellington had to keep the ball close to their chests in windy and cool conditions. They made hard work of the first half before running in four tries in the second half over a battling Manawatu.
So Umaga was comparatively quiet, contenting himself with support play. He also made one typical tackle which cut down a Manawatu forward.
It wasn't like his test debut some 10 years ago when former All Black coach John Hart realised he might be on to something special when Umaga went on a "brilliant run", over 90m, cutting through most of the Fiji team before setting up Josh Kronfeld for a try under the bar.
Good a winger as he was, Umaga didn't claim a significant place in the national consciousness until he moved into centre and was appointed All Black captain.
"It was no surprise to me to see him become such a good leader," said Hart. "No surprise, but I would not have picked it in 96-98, when he was very young, a bit raw and with a few discipline issues." But, in 1999, he began to gather a lot more status, he had more confidence.
"He continued to grow. He adopted a very disciplined approach, he showed his intelligence and, after some initial struggles with the All Black culture, he adapted and grew to be a strong part of that culture."
And that was why they were at the Cake Tin yesterday.
His final scoring act was to charge down a clearing kick from which Jimmy Gopperth scored.
Wellington 37 (S. Paku, J. Gopperth, T. Ellison, C. Jane, M. Nonu tries; Gopperth 3 con, 2 pen), Manawatu 7 (J. Leota try, M. James con). Halftime: 13-0.
