Elliott Smith: Newstalk ZB Voice of Rugby on the potential of Tana Umaga joining the All Blacks coaching team

Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga is a contender to be named as one of Dave Rennie’s assistant coaches, possibly on defence. 

The Moana Pasifika mentor would replace Tamati Ellison. 

Newstalk ZB’s voice of rugby, Elliott Smith told Ryan Bridge it’s not really a surprise.  

He says he’s got a strong connection to Rennie, having played under him for Wellington and the NPC going back 25 years. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
AB's legend. Tana Umanger has reportedly been picked by Dave
Rennie to be assistant coach phase two of the coaching reset.
Elliott Smith News Talks said, be rugby commentator, the voice
of rugby with us this morning, Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Elliotto, Morning Ryan.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Just so, do we know this or we think this?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
We think this? Look, this has been a name tanah
among a banded about pretty much ever since, said Dave
Whenny got the job last week on our Rugby podcast
and Sky's Rugby shows. And I think that that confirmation
is getting a little bit closer on the basis of
some of those reports yesterday. Not really surprised that Tanna
Humonger would be involved. Strong connection to Dave Rennie, played

(00:36):
under Dave Rennie for Wellington and the NBC going back
twenty five years now, but there's a strong connection there.
So not officially confirmed. I'm hearing perhaps next week that
the official announced on will we made around the assistant coaches,
but seems more likely than not now that Tanna Umonger
will be one of them.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
What about Neil Barnes.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yeah, he's right in the mix as well, and he's
a coach that's worked with Dave Rennie at the Chiefs
for a number of seasons during that very successful tenure,
then went back to Tartanaki. So we're seeing out the
basis of Dave Rennie's coaching team beginning to form. Ryan
Neil Barnes will be there is my understanding kind of
umanger obviously very very close as well. There's other names

(01:17):
that have been mentioned. Mike Bleer, who works with Dave
Rennie currently in Kobe, Scottish attack coach, likely to join
the set up. Andrew Strawbridge, who again has worked with
Dave Rennie in plenty of places including the Chiefs before,
likely to be there as well. And then probably Jason
Ryan is likely to be the only survivor of the

(01:37):
previous All Blacks regime that will keep a job under
this new setup of Dave Rennie. So the more we're
hearing about it, Ryan, the more it sounds like it's
going to be a complete clear out of the assistant
coaches under Dave Rennie for this new All Blacks regime.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
And what does that tell you, Elliott about what his
plan is and of those names that you have mentioned,
what style he's going for?

Speaker 2 (01:59):
Well, I think he's going to want to play a
heads up attacking style of football, but also need to
balance that with the way that international rugbies then played.
I don't think we can see the Dave Renny styles
that we saw at the Chiefs working twelve years ago
work at an international rugby because international rugby has changed
so much in that time. But he's put himself around
a lot of coaches that he works with you across

(02:20):
a number of clubs, has strong relations with and can trust.
And we saw in the last setup that you know,
there was fallouts with different assistant coaches that didn't quite
work out. He's surrounded himself with people that he knows
he can work with, knows or believes that they can
get the best out of and deliver the All Blacks,
you know, World Cup win next year. So it'll be
interesting to see what portfolios each of them take. I'd
suspect Dave a ton of Umonger would probably look at

(02:42):
a defense portfolio. That's where he's worked with, specifically with
the Blues previously, currently Mwana Pacifica's head coach and your
Barnes likely to be around the Fords and maybe a
little bit of attack as well. But that's going to
be interesting to see how they divvy up those portfolios
once it's all said and done.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Good Onya al L. Smith Newstalk zb's Voice of Rugby.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
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