Jonah Lomu: The Legend Remembered

Late last night the tragic news of All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu's untimely death was announced to the world, and now almost twenty four hours later, not only the world of Rugby but the world of sport as a whole is in mourning after the loss of such an iconic figure in our game. Tributes have been rolling in from rugby clubs, players and fans all around the globe, which tells you just how huge Lomu's impact was on the sport.

Jonah Lomu revolutionised the sport of Rugby, like Tiger Woods did with Golf and Michael Jordan with Basketball. Bursting on to the scene at the 1995 Rugby World Cup at only 20 years of age many were doubtful over the impact Lomu would have in the All Black squad and whether he was going to be able to compete with the 'big boys' of Rugby, and after his performance in the semi-final victory against England, scoring four tries (the first after only two minutes) and famously bulldozing over Mike Catt, the answer as to whether he was ready, was a very, very firm 'yes'.

Jonah Lomu, aged 20 scored four tries in the World Cup semi-final victory
against England in 1995. 

Will Carling famously said after that World Cup semi-final in 1995 that Lomu was "a freak, and the sooner he goes away, the better". However Lomu did the exact opposite, scoring eight tries at the 1999 Rugby World Cup and causing carnage on the pitch up until his international retirement aged 27. 

Standing at 110kg it made perfect sense for Lomu to be part of the forward pack, however playing him on the wing, a position often associated with skinny, fast runners, was simply revolutionary. But Jonah Lomu was not just a man mountain, yes he bulldoze his way through any defence, but if you were to show him outside, he was gone in an instant. How a man of that size could be as quick as Lomu was, is still nothing short of a mystery, but what a sight it was. 

Lomu wreaked havoc on the wing for the All Blacks, and paved the way for players such as Alesana Tuilagi and in more recent years a man often compared to Lomu, Julian Savea. Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Sir Clive Woodward stated that "he was 110kg but could run like the wind" and "having that on the end of your chain rather than in the forward pack was a revolution of the game." and I couldn't agree more. Seeing a player of his stature stood on the wing certainly made a great deal of rugby fans rub their eyes and take a second glance as this really was something that had never been seen before.

Lomu revolutionised rugby off the pitch as well as on it, the sight of him bursting down the wings and smashing through players on countless occasions meant that the sport of rugby was introduced to an avalanche of new audiences and commercial deals across the globe. A real measure of the impact of Lomu's performances on the pitch can be seen in the fact that the Rugby World Cup is now the third-biggest sporting event globally, a statistic that twenty years ago would have been simply unimaginable. 

Lomu's performances at the 1995 and 1999 Rugby World Cup's
turned him in to the biggest name in world Rugby, and turned
the sport in to one of the biggest professional sports in the world

Lomu was diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder called nephrotic syndrome before the 1995 World Cup, a disease which, unlike Mike Catt and countless other players, would slow and eventually stop him from playing Rugby. Lomu underwent a kidney transplant in 2004 after the organ failed in 2003, resulting in Lomu having to teach himself to walk again. Despite this, the organ failed again and Lomu, who always believed he would still be able to play, altered his life ambitions to simply being able to see his young children reach their 21st birthdays. 

Lomu's sudden death is nothing short of tragic, and has left the sporting world in a state of shock. However the legacy that he leaves behind is, in turn, nothing short of legendary. 

Jonah Lomu at the 2015 World Cup in England this September.