Umaga wants Super 12 scrapped
February 20, 2002

All Black centre Tana Umaga has made an amazing call for the Super 12 competiton to be scrapped claiming it does little for New Zealand's players.

Umaga said the tournament, run since 1996, did little for New Zealand rugby union and was a drain on players who should be focussed on club, provincial and international commitments.

The 2002 Super 12 starts this weekend with Umaga's Wellington Hurricanes hosting the Auckland Blues on Friday.

Umaga was quoted in Wellington newspaper The Dominion as saying most of the All Blacks were still recovering from their end-of-year tour of Ireland, Scotland and Argentina and would rather be on the beach than playing rugby.

"It happens too early for us and every year they seem to want to start earlier," he said. "I would rather push the Super 12 out and just have club rugby, the internationals and the National Provincial Championship.

"It's the way it used to be but there are not many of us traditionalists left."

Umaga conceded the Super 12 had lifted the standard of New Zealand rugby, but only for the elite players.

"It's not the standard of the Super 12 I'm against, it's the timing. It's great rugby and I enjoy playing it because you get to travel and play against the best players in the top three countries in the world - but there's just too much of it."

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