A game changer. Rugby’s first global superstar. An icon. A gentle giant. And a very special person. These were just some of the words used by rugby stars to describe All Black legend Jonah Lomu, who died in Auckland on Wednesday aged 40.
Lomu had battled with kidney problems for most of his stellar rugby career, in which he scored 37 tries in 63 Tests for the All Blacks. He played his last Test for New Zealand against Wales in 2002, after making his debut as a 19-year-old against France in 1994 – still the record for the youngest ever All Black.
Lomu’s most memorable moment was the "Mike Catt incident" in the 1995 Rugby World Cup semi-final at Newlands, when he ran over the England fullback to score one of his four tries on the day.
Catt said on the England Rugby website on Wednesday: "I’m massively sad, but the legacy he’s left is incredible. He’s inspired millions of people around the world to watch the sport and start playing. He changed rugby union during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
"I think every rugby player would say if there’s anyone who deserved a Rugby World Cup medal, it’s Jonah. It was an amateur game when he played England in 1995, so to put rugby on the map like he did was phenomenal because the following year, the game went professional.
"I don’t think he understood the impact he had on the game."
Bok star Bryan Habana equalled Lomu’s World Cup try-scoring record in this year’s tournament on 15, and took to Instagram to pay tribute to the big man.
"His on field fearlessness was matched by his off field humility. So sad to wake to the news of @JONAHTALILOMU’s passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. It was a privilege to have met you, to have been inspired by you and to watch you make the biggest impact we have ever seen on the game we love so dearly #GameChanger #GlobalSuperstar #RIPJonahLomu"
The man who had to mark Lomu in the 1995 World Cup final, James Small, said on Twitter: "A privilege to be held in same breath.. RIP big man."
Small’s Bok teammate Joost van der Westhuizen – who is battling with motor neuron disease – tackled Lomu a few times in the final and met up with him in South Africa recently. He said on Twitter: "Difficult to write with eyes full of tears on my eye tracker. Thank you for EVERYTHING Jonah. RIP my dear friend!"
Breyton Paulse also had to deal with Lomu on the field, and one of his unforgettable Bok tries came against the All Blacks with Lomu on the opposite side in the 1999 World Cup.
Paulse tweeted: "The World lost an Icon!A Gentle Giant who was loved globally!Condolences to his family and friends,sad day#RIPJonah"
Dan Carter tweeted that he would have "done anything to have played a test with him", while Lomu’s first All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick described him as a "special person".
Lomu never did score a try against the Springboks, but it resulted in the likes of Christian Cullen and Jeff Wilson dotting down often in the late 1990s.
The man who handed Lomu his All Black debut was then-coach Laurie Mains, who told the stuff.co.nz website on Wednesday: "Here we had this huge man who was incredibly fast that all we needed to do was get the ball to him as quickly as possible without too many people out there marking him. The instructions for our backs were: just get the ball to Jonah as fast as you can and back him up.
"Jonah, I always regarded as the gentle giant and he was a guy that would talk to anyone and help anyone he came across that needed help. And to lose a legend of New Zealand rugby like that is sad, but it’s more about losing the man himself than Jonah the rugby player."
@IndyCapeSport