Jonah Lomu

IN ALL respects, no one came close to Jonah Lomu. He will always be remembered as a quiet, humble man who transformed the game. Rugby’s first and arguably its only superstar, he made those people who weren’t interested in the sport take notice.

Before Lomu, rugby might well have been played in black and white. He made it full colour. Before Lomu, wingers ran around the opposition. Lomu’s sheer bulk, power and speed allowed him to run at and through people.

He was fast-tracked into the All Blacks environment and became the youngest to wear the black jersey.

Despite his phenomenal skills, his first year in the national team was largely a failure. Such a trial by fire might have ruined a lesser player’s career.

But Lomu bounced back to become the most dominant force in rugby the following year with his feats at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa.

Concerns about fitness were better understood once his diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome was made public.

A kidney transplant in 2004 appeared to spell the end of rugby. Not for Lomu. His transplant, which saw a new kidney placed behind his ribcage, gave him a better chance of returning to the field.

And he did. Miraculously. While he never recaptured his former greatness, his determination to keep fighting, to keep dreaming the impossible dream, drew plenty of admiration, even if it made for nervous viewing.

His legacy continues today: he was the player who this year’s World Cup-winning All Blacks grew up idolising. Lomu was proof you don’t need a winner’s medal to be a legend of the game.