Rugby: Umaga shows he still has the magic

Tana Umaga. Photo / Getty Images

To say the return of the prodigal Tana Umaga was a triumphant success would be overstating it, but those who reside around the Bombays have reason to be optimistic.

The 37-year-old Umaga last night played his first game on New Zealand soil for three years, as his adopted Counties-Manukau met Auckland in a pre-ITM Cup hit-out.

He played the first half in his side's 33-33 draw, an unlikely result considering an epic failure was likely when Auckland raced to a 26-0 lead.

By that time the former All Black captain had touched the ball twice, on the second occasion throwing a wretched pass that hit the turf well before it threatened to reach a teammate.

At least he had the opportunity to watch a statistical oddity unlikely to be repeated as Auckland's first three tries were scored by the front row in order of jersey number, with Tevita Mailua (1), Tom McCartney (2) and Charlie Faumuina (3) all crashing over.

But we digress. Last night was all about Umaga, who has returned to add some starch to the Counties' backline and bolster his coaching resume as assistant to Milton Haig.

He might have lost a yard or five of pace but he still made some crunching tackles and started to hit the line at some nice angles once his teammates finally managed to get their hands on the ball.

Perhaps more importantly, the bums-on-seat factor was already evident. More than 600 paying customers turned up to Waitakere's Trusts Stadium to watch a glorified training run.

Still, Waitakere is a long way from Toulon and the Stade Mayol in distance and character. Toulon's rugby ground is a curious place, a patch of green in the middle of the port city, built up on all sides by the cityscape.

Last night's surroundings were pastoral by comparison and there were times during Auckland's relentless first-half march where Umaga could have been forgiven for wondering what he had let himself into.

He wouldn't be human if he didn't spend some time this season wistfully contemplating the Mistral's cold embrace, the sight of white caps on the Mediterranean, a glass of Burgundy with his filet mignon.

Welcome back Tana.