The rugby world is in mourning today following the death of arguably the biggest name in its history. Jonah Lomu made his debut for the All Blacks in 1994 against France in Christchurch before truly announcing his presence to the world a year later at the World Cup in South Africa.
In what was a memorable tournament and a wonderful advertisement for the game, the 6 ft 5 in, 18-stone powerhouse scored seven tries in five matches, including four against England in the semi-final, before his team eventually went down 15-12 to the host nation.
Despite never getting his hands on the Webb Ellis Cup, Lomu remains the Rugby World Cup‘s joint top try scorer — with South Africa’s Bryan Habana — having carried the ball over the line 15 times in 11 games.
A household name at 20 thanks to his jaw-dropping performances on the pitch, the likes of which had never been seen before — it often took up to three men to bring him down — Lomu was ultimately unable to beat his toughest opponent, the rare and debilitating kidney disorder nephrotic syndrome.
Diagnosed with the condition at the end of 1996, he nevertheless played in the 1999 World Cup turning in more showstopping displays — and scoring eight tries — until France eventually ended New Zealand’s hopes of a first tournament victory since 1987 at the semi-final stage. In all, Lomu scored 43 tries in 73 international appearances.
In 2004, the great ambassador for rugby underwent a kidney transplant (a kidney was donated by his friend, radio presenter Grant Kereama) which allowed him to prolong his career. He played club rugby in France, Wales and New Zealand before finally hanging up his boots in 2007.
Four years later when the Rugby World Cup came to New Zealand, the ‘Maradona of Rugby,’ to quote from a comment on a YouTube video, was heavily involved in the promotional side of things. However, it was around this time that the kidney he had been given seven years earlier started to fail, meaning he was forced to undergo dialysis three times a week.
Jonah Lomu passed away unexpectedly in Auckland having recently returned from England, where his countrymen successfully retained the trophy they had won on home soil in 2011.
He may not have been a World Cup winner himself, but at least this gentle giant who lit up the sporting world for an all-too-brief period back in the mid to late 1990s was there to see his beloved All Blacks triumph, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since the tournament began. They did the big man proud.
Jonah Lomu (May 12 1975 – November 18 2015) is survived by his wife Nadene and two sons.
To see what other stars of the game of rugby have been saying about him, go here.
