“In ’95 he was unstoppable”, says O’Driscoll digging in to his memory banks to tell a tale, perhaps apocryphal, about how Ireland’s players attempted to cope in their World Cup encounter with the new wonder-kid on the worldwide scene.
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“He spoke before more than 700 people, very naturally, with his faith and conviction”. He was the game’s first millionaire, the first player to have global appeal.
He managed a brief comeback in 2005 and ’06 making 10 appearance for Cardiff Blues in Wales but hung up his boots for good soon after.
The All Blacks legend became a star during the historical World Cup in South Africa during 1995 as his national teams wild card pick.
Scrum-half Justin Marshall, who played alongside Lomu in the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, added: “We were quite happy to get the ball to Jonah and let him have a one on one because most times he’d beat his winger and then God help the full-back”.
Lomu scored 37 tries in 63 matches for New Zealand between 1994 and 2002. “By the end of it I’ll have learnt the ins and outs of every clinic in the country”, he joked to the Telegraph at the start of the World Cup, referring to his dialysis.
New Zealand Rugby, who arguably owe part of their huge commercial success over the last 20 years to Lomu’s performances at the 1995 World Cup, said they were “shocked and saddened” by Lomu’s death.
Mallinder, a former full-back, played against Lomu during the Saints director of rugby’s England days.
“He had blistering pace, power and speed”.
Jonah Lomu steamrolls English fullback Mike Catt.
“He was an icon not just for New Zealand fans but for all rugby fans around the world”.
It was announced on Wednesday that Lomu had passed away suddenly in his homeland at the age of 40.
“He was a man who came from humble beginnings in Mangere, South Auckland and rose to become rugby’s first global superstar”. One thing as a dad you don’t want is for them to come to any harm or anything bad to happen to them.
“He was very quiet off the pitch, a very shy person”.
For the second time in a row, he finished as the tournament’s leading try scorer, but just as in Johannesburg four years earlier, fate conspired against Lomu and the All Blacks lost to the French in what remains one of the biggest upsets in rugby history. “Jonah was an incredible rugby player and a top bloke”. My love and thoughts go out to Jonah’s family.
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Jonah Lomu will be remembered as one of rugby’s greatest ever stars after changing the game forever, according to his former All Blacks skipper Sean Fitzpatrick.
