New Zealand Maori today confirmed that Tana Umaga will be part of their coaching staff for their tour of the Northern Hemisphere this year.
The Maori – who will take on The British & Irish Lions next year on their Tour of New Zealand – have been boosted by both Umaga and Carl Hoeft’s appointments as assistants.
Umaga – captain of the All Blacks when the Lions last toured the Land of the Long White Cloud back in 2005 – is now head coach of the Blues franchise in Super Rugby.
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Hoeft is a former All Black prop who won 30 caps between 1998-2003 and now assistant at the Chiefs, and the duo will form Colin Cooper’s coaching team for the Maori tour.
Their playing squad will be announced next month for their November clashes against USA in Chicago, Munster in Limerick and Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
"I'm delighted to have Tana and Carl join us," Cooper said.
"Their mix of specific coaching skills and insight as former players adds huge value to the work we are doing around this team.
Tana will help coach the Maori All Blacks for this year's northern tour! Read more here: https://t.co/PloxYGsTUP
— The Blues (@BluesRugbyTeam) September 14, 2016
"Tana brings a certain mana to our team – he understands the professional rugby environment well and brings a strong high performance approach to his work.
"There's no doubting the knowledge that Carl brings to the forward pack so it's great to have him on board as well."
