O'Driscoll and Umaga 'catch up'
Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:13
Watching closely: Toulon boss on the sidelines.
Irish hero Brian O'Driscoll and former All Black captain Tana Umaga came face-to-face for the first time in four years this weekend as the Toulon player/coach visited a Leinster pre-season training session in Nice.
In 2005 the two icons of the World game came clashed as the British and Irish Lions took on New Zealand. O'Driscoll, the captain of the tourists, was quickly targeted by the All Blacks and unfortunately had his tour cut short as Umaga and Keven Mealamu tackled him early in the first test - turning him in the air and dropping on his shoulder.
The Leinster star sustained a dislocated shoulder and was subsequently ruled out of the rest of the series - sparking a mass media out cry and causing great dissatisfaction in the Lions camp.
Both players have moved on since the incident but its' legend continues to grow with every retelling. This weekend however the two players finally shook hands for the first time since O'Driscoll left the pitch four years ago.
Umaga, attending the Leinster training camp at the invitation of a friend of his, told the Independent that he did not know O'Driscoll would even be there but said the two shared a good chat when they finally caught up.
"I had no idea Brian was going to be there," said Umaga to The Independent.
"When we got down there, my friend said 'I've got someone for you to meet'.
"I was a bit reluctant because I saw the Leinster boys there and didn't want to be a nuisance.
"But when I got there, Brian came up and we just started chatting. It was good to catch up; we literally hadn't seen each other anywhere around the world since that first Test."
Adding: "It wasn't uncomfortable chatting with Brian at all,
"It was good to have a chat about how things are going for both of us. We didn't mention 2005 and the Lions tour, it was a long, long time ago."
"There was no mention of [the tackle]. We just chatted about rugby and our lives.
"These things happen in rugby and they affect you at the time. But it's not the last thing that happens in your career, you move on."
Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Advertising
