This week one of the greats of sport passed away. Jonah Lomu
who defined himself in the 1995 Rugby world cup where he made his name. With
his power as a player he was problem the greatest players I had ever see. With
his bald head with a little fringe on top he would be known for that.
Jonah started as a forward but his strongest position was
the left wing where he made a name in the 1995 Rugby world cup. He was the
player of the 1995 Rugby world cup but lost out on a medal in the final.
Just before the World Cup final a deal was struck between
South Africa, New Zealand and Australia (SANZAR) to create the Tri-Nations, an
annual round robin competition between the three nations launched with the
advent of professionalism in rugby. New Zealand won all their games to become
the first Tri-Nations winners Lomu scored a try in a 43–6 victory over
Australia in the inaugural match, which has been described by New Zealand
Herald journalist David Leggat as "the perfect wet-weather game"
At the end of 1996, he was diagnosed with a rare and serious
kidney disorder, which saw him take time off from the sport
Lomu scored eight tries at the 1999 World Cup. In pool
matches he scored two tries against Tonga, one against England and two against
Italy. The All Blacks, finished top of their pool and proceeded to the
quarter-finals. They defeated Scotland, with Lomu scoring one of New Zealand's
four tries. Lomu scored twice in the semi-final match against France, though it
was not enough to see them through to the final as France went on to win 43–31.
Lomu retired from profesional rugby in 2007, but still took
part in some charity matches. He was going to play in the Help For Heroes
charity match at Twickenham in 2008, but had to withdraw after injuring his
ankle in training
In September 2009, Lomu took part in an amateur bodybuilding
contest, finishing second in two categories, including the men's open over-90
kg, and the mixed pairs. He joined French Fédérale 1 team Marseille Vitrolles
in November,making his debut in a 64-13 victory over against Montmelian. Lomu
started the match at centre then moved to number 8, the position he played as a
youngster in New Zealand.
Lomu also made an attempt to take part in a charity boxing
event in New Zealand called "Fight for Life" 2011, for which he was
the intended captain of the rugby union team. It was his intention to fight the
main event against former league player Monty Betham. On 14 November Lomu
pulled out of the competition as he had just recently been hospitalised for
over a week due to his failing kidney.
Jonah Lomu was brought into the Rugby Union hall of fame
last year
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