JONAH Lomu, who has died aged 40, was a big man who had a massive impact on rugby union - bigger, perhaps, than anyone else in the history of the sport since William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it. But he had no interest in becoming a big personality in the showbusiness sense of the word: he was far too down to earth for that.
Those two factors - his stature as a player and his humility as a man - explain the affection with which he was regarded both by his peers and by the millions who him play. They also explain why he was the perfect team player: one who had more to contribute to the cause than anyone else, but always understood that his role was to serve the squad.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Lomu’s glittering career was the fact that he achieved so much despite the debilitating kidney condition with which he had to contend throughout his life. Had he been wholly healthy, and enjoyed a career uninterrupted by illness for, say, a full decade after the 1995 Rugby World Cup, he might easily have run up a couple of near-unassailable records for All Blacks appearances and Test tries scored. As it was, he had to be content with “just” 63 caps and a try-scoring tally that included 15 at World Cups - a record that has yet to be surpassed, and was only equalled by South Africa’s Bryan Habana this year.
Rugby had embarked on an unstoppable path towards professionalism some years before Lomu made his New Zealand debut as a 19-year-old in 1994. But his explosion on to the scene ensured it got off to a flying start the following year, when Rupert Murdoch pumped tens of millions into the sport after seeing the impact the young All Black made.
Of course, Lomu had to train hard to achieve the success he did, but the raw material had to be in place first. Faster men had played rugby before, as had those taller and heavier than him; but he was fast, and tall, and heavy, and those three factors wrapped together ensured he had a more terrifying impact on opposition defences than anyone before or since.
Perhaps it was because he was blessed with those natural advantages that Lomu never really credited himself with greatness, preferring to see his talent as God-given. For the first few years of his career he appeared shellshocked by the huge media interest in him, and at press conferences would repeat questions posed to him in an attempt to buy time. Later, even on a 2004 tour to promote his autobiography, he was still loth to talk up his own achievements. Instead he would answer questions dutifully, with unfailing politeness.
To some there was a contradiction between the destructive power he unleashed on the field and the endearing humility he showed off it, but Lomu himself did not think those characteristics were in any way in conflict. Team-mates attested to the short prayer he would say before games, in which he expressed the hope that his devastating momentum would not inflict any lasting damage on his opponents. Some of those opponents probably uttered similar prayers themselves in the moments before going on to the pitch to confront him.
“Everywhere he appeared on the pitch Jonah was a menace, because people were just not used to playing against someone of that size,” Craig Joiner, the former Scotland winger who was his opposite number in the 19995 World Cup, said yesterday. “He was devastating on the wing and there was not a lot teams could do to stop him when he was on form.
“He broke the mould. Not only was he so powerful, but he was light on his feet with an ability to change direction quickly, and that’s what caught people off guard. For a big man it was unbelievable just how fast he was.
“You have to say that he changed rugby. If you rolled on two or three years from 1995, wingers like him were commonplace, when before they really weren’t. All of a sudden wingers were coming inside to run crash balls because he had shown how it could be done. It really is very sad what has happened to him at such a young age.”
Kenny Logan, a Scotland winger of the same era as Joiner, sad: “Jonah Lomu was a legend, blazed a trail, took the sport into a different era with his global recognition. Talent and humility in abundance.”
Another winger, the diminutive Welshman Shane Williams, said: “Jonah Lomu was an inspiration for myself and millions of youngsters growing up. I loved rugby even more because of him. Thanks for everything you’ve given me, Jonah.”
Current Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg also paid tribute, calling Lomu “An absolute legend of our game [who] will be missed by all.”
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