Tana Umaga will remain with the Blues through the 2021 Super Rugby season.
The former All Blacks captain took a step back from head coaching at the start of the 2019 season, taking up a role as Leon MacDonald's assistant.
Umaga was in charge of a very impressive Blues defence for the Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign and will continue in that role next season.
Umaga's confirmation means no changes to the Blues coaching staff for 2021, with forwards coach Tom Coventry and backs coach Daniel Halangahu also committing beyond this season.
"I enjoy my role at the Blues and I’m really pleased to carry on next year," Umaga says.
"This means I am aligned with the other coaches and I can continue to work with this maturing playing squad.
"We have a strong coaching group and we enjoy feeding off each other, as well as the benefit of some open and honest discussions about our game plans."
Umaga’s work as defence coach saw the Blues top Super Rugby Aotearoa statistics for tackles made and number of dominant tackles. He has also contributed significantly to the team culture.
"I am thrilled that Tana will be staying with us," says MacDonald. "He has done a superb job in the development of this team as a defensive unit.
"Defence is the cornerstone of our success, not just with the alignment and communication, but our goal-line scramble defence was outstanding in terms of our system and strength of will.
"A big part of that was the character and sense of purpose that Tana has played a major part in developing with this squad."
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