Lomu -- the man who dragged rugby union into modern era

Lomu -- the man who dragged rugby union into modern era

WELLINGTON - Jonah Lomu, the hulking New Zealand winger who was farewelled Monday at a public memorial, dragged rugby union into the modern era with the same ferocity he used to trample opposing players.

Hailed as rugby union's first global superstar, Jonah Lomu shot to international fame at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, a year after becoming the youngest ever All Black at the age of 19 years and 45 days

Hailed as the sport's first global superstar, he shot to international fame at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, a year after becoming the youngest ever All Black at the age of 19 years and 45 days.

At his peak, the 1.96 metre (6ft 5in) Lomu weighed 120 kilograms (265 pounds) and could cover 100 metres in 10.8 seconds, providing a combination of speed and power that terrorised opponents.

While New Zealand ultimately lost to hosts South Africa in the 1995 final, the tournament's defining image was of Lomu trampling over a hapless Mike Catt on his way to four tries in the All Blacks' semi-final win over England.

"He's a freak, and the sooner he goes away the better," dejected England captain Will Carling said after the match.

Lomu eventually scored 37 tries in 63 Tests between 1994 and 2002.

But shortly after his breakthrough 1995 tournament, he was diagnosed with the rare kidney disorder nephrotic syndrome, which eventually cut short his career and led to his untimely death aged just 40 on November 18.

Medics told him that, even at his best, the condition left him playing at 80 percent capacity, feeling constantly drained and taking days to recover from training sessions.

After a health-related dip in form following the 1995 World Cup, he returned to his best at the 1999 edition, scoring eight tries to take his tally at the rugby showcase to 15.

The record was only matched this year by South Africa's Bryan Habana.

After 1999, Lomu never again hit the highs that turned him into one of the game's biggest drawcards and his international career petered out in 2002, when he was just 27.

- 'Drove a new era' -

Lomu was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2011, when the sport's governing body said he had left an indelible mark on the sport.

New Zealand Rugby chief Steve Tew this month credited Lomu with saving rugby at a time when it was struggling to embrace professionalism after more than a century as an amateur code.

"The things that Jonah achieved, particularly in a couple of games, raised the eyebrows of some people who had a significant amount of money," Tew said.

"That was at the point where the game was about to be lost. If the potential for the game hadn't have been demonstrated by Jonah, we might well not be sitting here."

Rugby legend, never confirmed, is that seeing Lomu in 1995 convinced media magnate Rupert Murdoch about rugby's potential and he subsequently signed a major deal for southern hemisphere television rights.

The Sunday Times in London hailed him as rugby's most influential player, saying he single-handedly changed the history of the sport.

"Because of his magnificence and because of the time and the place, he drove rugby into a new era," the newspaper said.

As his kidney condition continued to worsen, Lomu was warned in 2003 that complications including nerve damage could confine him to a wheelchair unless he had a transplant.

He later described the time as his darkest moment.

"I was this guy who'd been racing around down there on that field in 1999, running straight over people, scoring tries, winning games, having fun. And I ended up so sick that I couldn't even run past a little baby," he said in 2005.

In 2004, he received a kidney donated by friend and New Zealand radio broadcaster Grant Kereama and, while his health improved, attempted comebacks were repeatedly marred by injury.

- 'No regrets' -

Lomu was born to Tongan parents in the gritty Auckland suburb of Mangere and said in the 2013 documentary "Anger Within" that he endured a tough childhood with an abusive father.

When he was 12, machete-wielding gang members hacked to death his uncle, prompting his mother to enrol him for a rugby scholarship at a top school to give him an escape route.

He never looked back and was soon playing on representative teams.

In his latter years, Lomu doted on his sons, Brayley, 6, and Dhyreille, 5, with his third wife Nadene.

But health scares continued and the donated kidney failed in 2012, with Lomu saying at the time "everyone has to die sometime" and he had no regrets.

"I'm really lucky, I've already lived more in one lifetime than many would in six or seven lifetimes," he said.

"For me, the important thing is to ask 'can you look in the mirror and say you've done everything to enjoy life?'"

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