Jonah Lomu: a rugby great
Boks pay tribute to ultimate legend of the game
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19
2015
JONAH Lomu thundered through, past, over and around defenders to score eight tries at the 1995 World Cup with a searing performance that branded rugby into the global consciousness and was perhaps the reason the game turned professional one year later. The hulking All Blacks winger terrified opponents on the field, but those who were swallowed up by his imposing shadow on the field have lauded the man in the black number 11 jersey. Chester Williams, Springbok winger, 27 Tests (1993-2003)
“Jonah was a good friend of mine through rugby, and he was a complete game-changer – he made rugby about power, speed and skill, and he was an ultimate legend of this game.
“Off the field, he was a gentle giant. A very reserved person, but very friendly. On the field, he had so many skills; he could sidestep, he had pace, he was one of the fastest players, and he was strong he could run over or around players.
“It was difficult to find his weak point but we found that the best way to counter him was to kick the ball in behind him and then tackle him so that you never you gave him space because, in space, it was almost impossible to stop him.
“When I hear the name Jonah Lomu, I always think of that 1995 World Cup semifinal against England when he scored four tries. We were almost in awe of him, running over people like that.
“Jonah was the focal point of the discussion before we played New Zealand in the final, and the idea was to try and stop the rest of his team from giving him the ball.
“We tried to give them very bad ball from the scrum and lineout and he never did score against South Africa.” Breyton Paulse, Springbok winger, 64 Tests (1999-2007)
“I have many memories of Jonah but, first of all, I want to congratulate the human being that he was. What really stands out for me, above the medals, the achievements and his ability, is that he was an absolutely fantastic human being, on and off the field.
“He was this monster guy, but he was soft spoken and he had a big heart. We swopped jerseys a few times and I really cherish those. We should celebrate what he’s done for rugby globally – especially over the past couple of years, he did a lot of ambassadorial work around the world.
“A guy like that was a Tiger Woods, they come around once every 100 years.
“He was absolutely feared on the rugby field and whenever he ran at me I just closed my eyes and hoped I’d get hold of one leg.
“Jonah never scored against the Boks but the one time he came close was on a cold night in Auckland. We were getting smashed by the All Blacks and I remember defending about 10 metres from the line – Robbie Fleck was on my inside and Christian Cullen and Jonah were opposite us. The All Blacks had created space and Fleck and I looked at each other and thought, ‘oh no, here comes Jonah’s first try against South Africa!’
“Cullen got the ball and, by the time he passed it to Jonah, Fleck and I were already running across to make it look like we had tried to tackle the big man… and then he went and dropped the ball! Fleck and I just looked at each other and smiled – thank goodness he didn’t catch that pass!”
HE WAS THIS MONSTER GUY, BUT HE WAS SOFT SPOKEN AND HE HAD A BIG HEART. WE SWOPPED JERSEYS A FEW TIMES AND I REALLY CHERISH THOSE
Francois Pienaar, Springbok captain and flanker, 29 Tests (1993-1996)
“Jonah, a giant of a man on, and importantly, off the field. On the field he was the first global superstar propelling the game with his incredible skills into the living rooms of people who did not know rugby.
“Off the field he made a difference in the lives of many people. A humble, decent and caring man who did so much in 40 years.
“Thank you Jonah, rest in peace, we will miss you and always remember you.”