Early Life
Tana Umaga was born in Lower Hutt to Samoan immigrant parents, and grew up playing rugby league. Umaga played for the Wainuiomata Lions and rose through the ranks, making the Wellington U-16 and U-17 sides, and was eventually named in the Junior Kiwi side of 1991. That same year he signed with the Newcastle Knights but within three weeks was back on the plane to New Zealand because of homesickness. He never did play a First-Grade NRL game. In 1993 Tana's brother Mike, who played rugby union for Manu Samoa, persuaded him to take up rugby union in 1994. The brothers played on opposite teams in a Test match between Samoa and New Zealand in 1999 during which Tana Umaga scored two tries (the All Blacks won 71-13).
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