He can count Inga Tuigamala and Brian Lima among former team-mates and is immensely proud of the fact his younger brother fulfilled expectations in one of the most coveted roles in the sport.
But following his resignation as coach of Coventry Rugby Club last year, a different challenge awaits Kenilworth's newest arrival.
As big names in the world of rugby go, few could strike as much fear into the heart of an opponent as that of Umaga.
Make no mistake: Kenilworth Rugby Club's latest signing, Mike Umaga, embodies all the traits more commonly associated with his younger brother Tana, the former All Black captain.
He is a proud Samoan and a man of principle, which is partly why he has ended up at the Glasshouse Lane outfit following his resignation from his position as head coach of Coventry Rugby Club before Christmas.
"It's all just a bit of fun really," Umaga said.
"I have got time to kill before heading back to New Zealand for a while, where I will catch up with family and do some work with the Wellington Hurricanes, so I am just trying to help the club out.
"It is enjoyable being back playing though.
"My son plays for Kenilworth's under-nine team and it is kind of nice being able to say we play for the same club - we have never been able to do that before.
Jacob, his son, is now eight years old and a pupil at St John's Primary School. And it is not only his academic education that needs to be in safe hands.
Having grown up watching his uncle star in one of the most exciting New Zealand sides for many years, it places quite a high level of expectation at his door.
Umaga says if the boy shows signs of genuine ability, and the family is still living in the UK, the chances are Jacob will move back to New Zealand to be coached by Tana.
Technically, the young scrum-half could qualify to play for England, seeing as he and his sister, Leilani, now six, were born here.
But there is no doubt in his mind who he will play for should the chance arise: the silver fern over the red rose every time.
His father had a similar choice to make when embarking on his international career in the late 1980s.
Having grown up in Wellington, he qualified to play for New Zealand but, coming from a proud Samoan family, chose his father s homeland instead.
He eventually won 30 or so international caps and went to the World Cup in 1995 and 1999.

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His room mate at the first of those tournaments, coincidentally, was Laulala Langkilde: another Samoan centre who played for Kenilworth five years ago. The pair were known as the "bad boys".
Such celebrated arenas are a far cry from where Umaga's rugby education started in some of the toughest parts of New Zealand and the Pacific Islands where the sport is a way of life.
That certainly is not the case in the comfortable surroundings of the family's current home in Farmer Ward Road. It matters not.
"In some ways Samoa is a very real country.
"The posts on the pitches might be made from branches and the players might be running in bare feet using a coconut shell as a ball - but the rugby ethos is the same as anywhere.
"As long as there are two sets of posts, two try lines and 30 guys playing with the same passion, rugby is the same anywhere.
"I have always believed that; that is the beauty of the game.
"I have never really had time for people with egos.
"We all play hard and then go and enjoy a beer in the bar afterwards.
It is inconceivable that someone as down-to-earth and laid back as Mike Umaga has ever been accused of having anything resembling a precious nature. So it is therefore unsurprising to hear he has little sympathy with those who do.
On the pitch, one assumes his demeanour is much more assertive and robust than his demure and friendly nature off it.
Given the Pacific islanders' fascination with and enjoyment of what is known in rugby-speak as 'physicality', there is no doubt Umaga will have taken great joy in bruising some egos in his time.
It will be a brave opponent in the relatively humdrum league of Midlands Two West who decides to put Umaga's defensive qualities to the test and if they think the 40-year-old has lost some of his zest for the big hit, it could a painful lesson.
"We just love the tackling side of the game, Mr Umaga says. It's an attitude thing.
"Over here when crowds see a big hit they might gasp. But in Samoa, they will laugh.
"That is what they go to matches for.
"The person who has been smashed gets laughed at, he doesn't get any sympathy."
So can supporters at Glasshouse Park expect to see this sort of commitment from their new signing as they chase the league title?
"If I wasn't going to take playing for Kenilworth totally seriously I would not be doing the club or myself justice, so I am not going to hold back.
"I have played in some of the roughest places in Samoa but believe me rugby is the same everywhere.
"There are some good players at Kenilworth and the lads' banter is all good so I am enjoying it and want to win.
"The lads told me we were just going to have a gentle run-through on Thursday night - but when I got down there it was a rude awakening.
"There were tackle bags and cones all over the pitch and Darren Garforth (the former Leicester and England prop now coaching the club's forwards] was there.
"Let's just say when I was lagging at the back he made it clear I was no longer in the technical area."
Umaga moved to the UK 12 years ago when he was offered a rugby league contract at Halifax for the first three seasons of Super League.
At the same time he was offered the chance to play super 12 rugby union for the Wellington Hurricanes, which could possibly have seen the Umaga brothers, seperated by seven years, playing in the same side.
"That would have been a lot of fun, but I have no regrets because my family situation might not have been the same now if I hadn't stayed."
It was in Halifax that he met his wife of nine years, Michelle, before returning to rugby union and helping guide unfashionable Rotherham up the divisions to the Premiership.
After two full seasons as Coventry coach, the relationship with the club ended acrimoniously before Christmas.
It is clear Umaga feels aggrieved at the way certain unresolved issues - chiefly the unexpected suspension from his job - were handled.
He walked away from his role at the Butts Park Arena because of the effect the situation was having on his family and feels he has done so with his dignity, and reputation firmly intact.
The importance of his family is the overwhelming characteristic that stands out when speaking to Umaga.
That might be why, when asked to play in the wet, ankle deep mud at lowly Birmingham side Camp Hill, which is where he made his debut in a 20-6 win last Saturday, he did so with a smile on his face.
He said being from Wellington, a city prone to the odd gust of wind and drop of rain, it was "like being at home".
It is clear New Zealand is where his heart lies - but at the moment Kenilworth is home and the Umaga family are "genuinely" enjoying every minute of it.