Absence of big claims is just fine with Blues fans

New Blues head coach Tana Umaga. Photo / Getty Images

The ink is barely dry on the contract and already a region - success-starved, sick of a decade of underperformance, hard luck stories and excuses - wants to know if Tana Umaga has the ability to fix the Blues.

No one has the patience or desire for yet another floundering head coach to blunder through three years repeating the same mistakes of their predecessor and then blaming all the same failings on the wider talent identification and development system.

Umaga, not even a day into the role, immediately presents as something different - as potentially the first coach since Graham Henry to understand the holy trinity of young men, the politics of the wider Auckland region and high performance culture.

Equally important is that Umaga has the gift of being able to speak plain English. It is one thing to have knowledge and a vision: another entirely to explain it in the matter of fact detail that allows players to understand it, buy into it and then deliver it.

Some of Umaga's predecessors talked in riddles - making impenetrable statements about pathways, environments, cultures and learnings.

The modern rugby player has all sorts of impressive functions and features but the hardware still operates best when fed the most simple instructions. What it comes down to for every player - All Blacks most definitely included - is being sent into battle with concise, clear, simple objectives.

Whatever else has or has not happened at the Blues in the past decade, the one consistent failing has been a disconnection between players and coach and an inability of the latter to spell out exactly what it is he wants.

Umaga is articulate but not elaborate, giving him the necessary flexibility to communicate as effectively with his players as he can the board, media, fans and sponsors.

Umaga knows the importance of clarity and, equally, he gave every impression at his unveiling that he knows the value of preparation, research and analysis.

He talked of the region's enormous talent base and its potential but also warned against the dangers of believing talent alone could win games and titles.

His take from afar has been that the players, or majority of, did not lack a work ethic this year - they lacked direction and understanding of their individual roles and how they fitted into the collective.

In his time with Counties, Umaga has shown he can not only explain his game plan, but that there is sophistication to his strategic thinking.

Perhaps what should be of most satisfaction and comfort to the region's rugby followers is that Umaga had no interest in making grand statements. His only promise was that he would give all he has got and that despite his long association with Wellington and the Hurricanes, Auckland has been his home for the past five years and is where he and his family want to be.

A hallmark of the Umaga reign might be under promising and over delivering - which would be a most welcome change.