| Full name | Tumatauenga Palatiso Umaga-Marshall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 March 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 190 cm (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 101 kg (223 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Hutt Valley High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Tana Umaga (uncle) Benji Marshall (cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tumatauenga Palatiso Umaga-Marshall (born 3 March 1983) is a New Zealand former professional rugby union player and semi-professional basketball player.
Raised in Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt, Umaga-Marshall is a nephew of All Black Tana Umaga and cousin of rugby league player Benji Marshall. He is of Samoan heritage and attended Hutt Valley High School.[1]
Umaga-Marshall played limited rugby union growing up, with basketball being his focus. He played basketball as a point guard for the Waikato Titans and Nelson Giants in the National Basketball League (NBL).[2]
Primarily a winger, Umaga-Marshall transitioned to rugby union via sevens and made his international debut for New Zealand at the 2006 Hong Kong Sevens.[3] He began playing provincial rugby for Wellington in 2008, the season the province ended a 26-year Ranfurly Shield title drought.[4] After crossing to Canterbury in 2009, Umaga-Marshall was occasionally called up by the Crusaders, making two Super 14 appearances.[5]
Umaga-Marshall turned down a contract offer to return to the NBL with the Wellington Saints in 2012, instead playing two seasons of Japanese professional rugby at Coca-Cola Red Sparks.[6]
- ^ "Rugby: Making a jump from basketball". NZ Herald. 6 November 2009.
- ^ "Umaga-Marshall revelling in new colours". Stuff.co.nz. 6 November 2009.
- ^ "Rugby sevens: NZ through in Hong Kong". NZ Herald. 1 April 2006.
- ^ "Umaga uncle, nephew test kinship over shield". Stuff.co.nz. 16 October 2010.
- ^ "Tumatauenga Palatiso Umaga-Marshall". New Zealand Rugby History.
- ^ "Wellington offer tempts Tu Umaga-Marshall". Stuff.co.nz. 4 December 2011.