AUCKLAND – Former All Black legend Tana Umaga has been finally unveiled as the successor to Sir John Kirwan as the Blues Coach ending days of speculation.
The announcement was expected after Kirwan endorsed Umaga when he stepped down as coach on Friday however the details of the appointment have not been known until now.
Umaga will take the reigns of the Blues for the next three years but will not start his tenure at Eden Park until the end of the 2015 ITM Cup in which he will continue coaching Counties Manukau.
Despite being pleased with his appointment, Umaga seemed coy about his immediate impact at the Blues.
“”There’s no quick fix to turn things around. It is going to take a lot of very hard work which will be my focus. I want to let our performances on the field do the talking.”
Umaga receives the so-called ‘poisoned chalice’ after Kirwan and Pat Lam fell on their own swords after poor seasons. However Umaga’s knowledge of the local game in New Zealand might afford him a better shot at taking the Blues back to the upper half of the Super Rugby table after three seasons in the bottom half.