I went to Sonny Bill Williams fight on Wednesday night and it was great to see him win the New Zealand Heavyweight Championship belt.  He had worked hard, prepared well and his work paid off.  I caught up with him before the fight at his house to offer my support and wish him all the best.

Sonny is a great friend of mine and a phenomenal athlete.  He has so much motivation, drive and dedication that he deserves all the success he gets.  He is one of the hardest working athletes I know so I am rapt with how the fight went.

I have been running Counties Manukau per-season trainings twice a week.  I have also been coaching the Chiefs Development side along with Kevin Schuler and Andrew Douglas.  We work closely with the Chiefs coaching team of Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith, Tom Coventry and Andrew Strawbridge.  I am really enjoying learning off them and the players are soaking it up.  It is great for them to learn what it is like at the next level.  The side is made up of players from the provincial unions within the Chiefs Super Rugby franchise. I have also been at a few Chiefs training sessions and think it was only last year I was doing that!

Chester Williams and I will be coaching the Asia Pacific Barbarians team at the Hong Kong Football Club 10s tournament next month.  The side features former All Blacks centurion Mils Muliaina, Anthony Tuitavake and Fijian flyer Filimoni Delasau. The side lost in the final last year so we are looking to go one better.   It is a great group of people and will be a lot of fun.

This weekend I am looking forward to watching my son play league. I really enjoy being on the sidelines encouraging and supporting anyone having a go at sports, particularly my own family.  I know how important it was and appreciated all the support I got when I was playing so I defiantly like to pay it back and enjoy watching people try hard no matter what level they play at.

Chase your dreams

Tana Umaga.

We had our first Christmas in our house which was great.  Our son came back from overseas for Christmas and we had family staying which made it a very enjoyable time of the year.  It makes a change to have Christmas at home; usually we are travelling all over the place.

We had a fairly quiet New Year but managed to have a few BBQ’s even though at times the weather wasn’t what you’d expect in summer! Despite the rain, it has still been relatively hot, so the kids have been making the most of swimming in the pool.

The Steelers start their pre season next week.  It will be good to get it all underway and see what sort of shape everyone comes back in after the festive season.

Last week I went down to Whakatane for a one day touch tournament with a whole heap of mates including Benji Marshall, Piri Weepu, Christian Cullen, Junior Tonu’u and Frano Botica.  The boys play in a team called Baa Baaz and we use it as a good time to get together from all over the place and have a bit of a run.

I have been going tournament for about fourteen years when I am in New Zealand but this year I didn’t throw the boots, but instead had the good job of giving away some of our fine sponsors products that Winston Sua had organized for us.

It is a highlight of the year for the boys and is a great opportunity to catch up with people of different ages and codes who play in our team.  The boys didn’t win but we had plenty of laughs.

I hope the New Year brings you all prosperity and enjoyment.

Chase your dreams

Tana

I am really excited about the next phase in my coaching career as Head Coach of the Counties Manukau Steelers.

My family and I really enjoy living here and I have become very attached to the area and to the players.

There is a great talent pool here and the region is renowned for growing players which we will continue to do and focus on retaining the players within the Counties Manukau region.

In the last few years I have enjoyed my role with the side and am keen to continue and build on the good work that has been done.

Counties Manukau’s riches are in its people, players, supporters, sponsors and fans.  It is great to be a member of a team of people who are focused on fielding a successful team.

Our players enjoy the environment and this is one of the reasons we are also experiencing interest in players from other Unions which is a nice change.

We are trying to concentrate on developing players as a whole, in addition to the rugby aspect which I think is vital for players in the modern game.

I would like to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and hope you get to spend some special time with your family and friends.

Chase your dreams

Tana