Plays Hard, Plays Fair

All Black captain Tana Umaga received the Pierre Coubertin Trophy from theInternational Committee of Fair Play on December 9. Previous awardees include Martina Navratilova and Nelson Mandela. The trophy recognised his good sportsmanship in helping Welsh captain Colin Charvis, who was knocked unconscious during a June 2003 Test match in Hamilton. Umaga removed Charvis’ mouthguard to ensure he did not swallow his tongue and placed him in the recovery position while play continued around them. Later in December, the Guardian picked Umaga to lead their 2004 dream team, which included fellow All Blacks Joe Rococoko, Daniel Carter (“the season’s big discovery”), Richie McCaw, and Jerry Collins.