Immovable Object meets Irresistible Force. Umaga vs Williams

[Dizzy]

If Tana Umaga had his way, they would have been playing together.
The mentor wanted his apprentice, Sonny Bill Williams, with him at Counties Manukau, where they could forge one of the most fearsome midfield combinations in this year's ITM Cup.
As it transpired, Sonny Bill Williams realised he needed a red-and-black education before graduating to the All Blacks and next weekend Umaga will line up against Williams in a competitive match for the first time.
It provides a fascinating sub-plot to a wider theatre as Counties travel to Christchurch with their season still hanging in the balance and another chance to lift the Ranfurly Shield.
Umaga and Williams have been the most discussed midfielders in this year's competition for very different reasons.
Most have marvelled at Umaga's ability to fend off advancing age to help Counties into top-seven contention. More have been left spellbound by Williams' ability to offload in the tackle and lay on tries for team-mates. What they might have been able to do together...


Umaga famously recruited Williams to Toulon, playing a major hand in one of the biggest sporting stories of 2008, and then convinced him to return to New Zealand this year to push for a World Cup spot.

Umaga even gifted Williams the All Blacks shirt he wore in his 74th and final test against Scotland in 2005 the night before Williams returned to these shores - to help crystalise his ambition.
Umaga's reputation is already cast, regardless of what he does next weekend, but Williams' is only just being forged in rugby union. The younger man will undoubtedly respect his opposite on Saturday night but will equally want to better him.
Few have done that this season, with Umaga proving as difficult as ever to navigate around.
There are few, however, who can stop Williams when the former Kiwis international is in the mood. It is what makes him such a compelling prospect.
What unfolds in midfield next Saturday could go a long way to deciding the match.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Please Provide a Source if you just copied and pasted the article:

Source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=10679422

For those interested.

 

[Dizzy]

Sorry mate.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Sorry mate.

Its ok don't want to get into trouble with copyright and all that ... easy mistake to make!

 

[Feicarsinn]

This is the second Umanga thread you've started today Dizzy. Surely this could have been a match thread instead of yet another thread focusing on two players who've recieved ample attention around here lately?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Are the NZ herald like the New Zealand Daily Mail?
Very sensationalist, that article is

 

[Dizzy]

This is the second Umanga thread you've started today Dizzy. Surely this could have been a match thread instead of yet another thread focusing on two players who've recieved ample attention around here lately?

The reason I started another thread was because they are two different topics of discussion.
It's like when the Tri Nations threads are started. Wallabies vs All Blacks on one date and then another thread All Blacks vs Wallabies on another date.

I don't know about you guys but it makes sense to me.

 

[nickdnz]

Still, as much as I love Umaga, one topic is enough. Same with SBW. It makes people interested in Umaga+SBW's progress easier to follow, and it makes cleaning up the board much easier. In future please just post in exsisting threads, if a story seems applicable.

On a different note, they definetly cheesed this story up. The use of the words apprentice seemed to apply it was Umaga was Obi Wan to SBW's Luke Skywalker.

 

[Dizzy]

It's being dubbed the Master versus the Apprentice as Tana Umaga gets set to go head to head with Sonny Bill Williams for the first time on Saturday night.
Or, to put it another way, the former All Back great against the man tipped to be a future All Black star.
Just to add spice to the occasion at Christchurch's AMI Stadium (5.30pm kickoff) the Ranfurly Shield will also go on the line as the Cantabs defend for the first time in their new era against Umaga's much-improved Counties Manukau outfit.
As much as both teams will look to run a mile from overplaying the significance of the matchup at second five-eighths, there's no doubt it's a tango of tantalising proportions - fitness and selection whims allowing.
Umaga, the veteran steadying presence in the young Steelers backline, was Williams' mentor when he started his rugby career at Toulon in the south of France.
It was Umaga's urgings that persuaded Williams to take up an offer from the New Zealand Rugby Union and return home to chase his All Black dream.
Heck, the 25-year-old one-time league superstar even has Umaga's last All Black test jersey as an inspirational memento as he chases his own international ambitions in the XV-man code.
Williams freely credits Umaga as being the primary influence in his young rugby life and considered joining him at the Steelers, before deciding Canterbury was the appropriate environment for his development.
The reality is the 37-year-old former All Black captain will have his work cut out keeping the shackles on Williams whose game continues to grow in the structured Canterbury setup.
Once again Williams -- one handling error excepted -- was a key contributor as Canterbury won an epic shield battle 26-16 against Southland in Invercargill on Saturday night. The 108kg midfielder played a major part in both tries as the Red and Blacks avenged last year's defeat to the Stags, and in a match where his side had limited attacking opportunities, still managed to stamp his mark.
It continued Williams' outstanding progress this season that's seen him emerge as arguably the leading No 12 in the ITM Cup. His distribution game has been dazzling, his running one is starting to take shape and his defence work on Saturday night was also solid as the Cantabs were forced to absorb a heap of pressure from the Stags.
Williams is now considered a certainty to tour with the All Blacks, though first he will be eager to help tuck the shield away for the summer, not to mention secure home advantage for his Canterbury team at finals time.
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On the other side of the coin Umaga, the 74-test legend, shapes as a key figure for the Steelers as they look to not only grab their own slice of shield history, but keep alive their now slim hopes of a top-four finish.
They will also be well aware they sit just on the wrong side of the dividing line for the all-important top seven with just two rounds remaining. Next year the ITM Cup will split into seven-team Premiership and Championship competitions based on finishing positions this season.
Umaga's veteran presence will be crucial for the young Counties side as they enter the shield crucible for the second time this season, though as has been the case throughout this campaign he'll be more a steadying influence than a creative genius.
Canterbury coach Rob Penney was certainly not buying into the Sonny v Tana billing as he reflected on a memorable weekend.
"We never make it about one person - you guys do that," he said on Radio Sport's breakfast show. "This is about our team playing their team. You've just got to have that focus.
"The guys will have that as maybe a sideshow. They'll be interested in what the Counties boys are doing, and Tana in particular. He's a legend in the game and his contribution up there has been immense.
"His friendship with Sonny is obvious... for us we've just got to focus on having 15 guys on the park all tuned in and doing the right thing for each other. If you get distracted by those sort of things you can trip up."
Penney described his team's latest successful shield challenge as "massive" against a "terrific" Southland outfit whom he felt were forced into a slightly unfamiliar game as they chased it from behind.
"It's an opportunity that is pretty special," he said of the tilt at the famous Log o' Wood. "So when you get that chance you've just got to make the most of it.
"I'm just rapt our guys got themselves in a position mentally and physically to really put a good effort it and in the end they got reward for it."
Yes, this week will be a lot bigger than the Sonny v Tana Show. But it certainly adds some spice to what's set to be a sizzling final shield showdown of the season.

Source:http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...ntice-Tana-Umaga-takes-on-Sonny-Bill-Williams