Tana Umaga

[nanila]

Jonathan Ionatana Falafesa “Tana” Umaga is a former captain of the New Zealand All-Blacks. He played 74 test matches, in which he scored 36 tries, and under his captaincy the All-Blacks won 19 of their 21 games. He looks fierce in this first photo and, obviously, when doing the haka*, but most of the time he is smiling in his lovely crinkly-eyed way with his dreadlocks flying everywhere. ♥
















Tana Umaga leads the haka before a rugby match. (YouTube, 00:55)

* Scary ancestral pre-battle war dance performed by the Maori that the All-Blacks always do before rugby matches. Other Polynesian groups have similar dances, such as the Tongan Sipi Tau.

Comments

[capri]

Are those tie-dyed shirts in the last pic? Or was the mud pink that day? o.o

[nanila]

It's a particularly garish choice for tough-guy kit, isn't it? I like how Tana Umaga looks like he's patting the tackling player on the cheek. :D

[illariy]

Wow, that hairstyle really looks great on him and he makes the sport look like a game, very inspiring. :D

The hot pink-neon blue uniforms totally cracked me up.

[nanila]

I think that's part of why he was so popular. He looks like he's having fun.

The kit choices for these big tough rugby players are sometimes quite eyebrow-raising!

[karihan]

TANA UMAGA OMG. He is one of the reasons this Yank fell in love with the All Blacks way back in '95. #heartsineyes

[nanila]

YAAAY. :D I started watching rugby after I moved to the UK from the USA in 2004, so it was coming to the end of his career. Because he's such a distinctive character, he was one of first players whose name I learned.