SPEAR AND LOATHING
Umaga: I’ll never be forgiven for THAT horror tackle
TANA UMAGA admits he might never be allowed to escape the spear-tackle controversy which left Brian O’Driscoll fearing for his life.
Twelve years on from the incident, which marred the tourists’ last visit to New Zealand, Umaga and the Lions tomorrow renew hostilities.
The former All Blacks captain now coaches the Auckland-based Blues, the second of 10 opponents for Warren Gatland’s men.
“It’s not about that time,” Umaga tried to insist yesterday after naming eight All Blacks in his Blues team. “That was 12 years ago, if people haven’t put it behind them, then they never will.”
It was a nice try, one which coincided with a column in the country’s biggest newspaper telling everyone that now, conveniently, is time to move on.
Only there is a problem with that. O’Driscoll, who was Lions captain and their best player in 2005, received neither justice nor a public apology for being “speared” out of the series just 41 seconds after it had begun.
“It still makes my blood boil because it was a complete injustice,” Eddie O’Sullivan, Lions’ assistant coach that summer, told BBC 5 Live’s Rugby Union Weekly.
“Brian did tell me that, on the way down, he thought he was going to break his neck and die. That’s how afraid he was.
“It was the last second he got his head out the way and his shoulder dislocated.”
Yet the disciplinary panel ruled there was no case to answer, either for Umaga or hooker Keven Mealamu, who also had a hand in O’Driscoll’s felling (above top).
In his autobiography, an unrepentant Umaga (above bottom, fans protest his behaviour) would accuse O’Driscoll of being a “sook” (cry baby) for continuing to complain he had not said sorry.
“It was a disgrace what happened,” three-time Lion and 2005 veteran Matt Dawson told 5 Live. “On the biggest of stages it was really poor for rugby.”
In Auckland yesterday Umaga had Sonny Bill Williams, Blues’ star-cumboxing champion, alongside him to block questions on the subject. It was a reminder of Umaga’s first media conference post-tackle, when the New Zealand pack accompanied him into the room and stared daggers at the press.
“It’s not about that time now,” Umaga repeated.
“It’s now about this group and, against the Lions, hopefully the memories they make are positive ones.”