New Zealand rugby legend Jonah Lomu dies

Justin Marshall said New Zealand is in a state of shock following the death of Jonah Lomu and credited the All Blacks legend for taking rugby union “into a different stratosphere”. “My condolences go out to his family, New Zealand and the rugby fraternity”.

“I only spoke to him by phone during the World Cup and even then it was like we were still playing together, talking about the old times, what he was up to, and our families”.

“Obviously Jonah has had a battle with kidney issues in recent years, but it’s nevertheless shocking to hear of what’s happened”.

Lomu’s first couple of tests against France in 1994 didn’t go well.

“I can confirm that Jonah Lomu died this morning…it was totally unexpected, Jonah and his family arrived back from the United Kingdom last night”, Mayhew told TV3 before breaking down in tears.

He was a surprise selection in the squad for 1995 with only two caps, but by the end of the tournament he was probably the most famous rugby player in the world, despite the All Blacks losing the final to the Springboks.

He was at his best at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, terrifying defensive lines with his speed and size – 192 cm tall (6 feet 4 inches) and weighing about 119 kilograms (18 stone 10 pounds).

While Lomu put fear into the opposition and will be remembered for his ferocious style of play, a try scored against him has also gone down in rugby folklore. It was a performance that helped to usher in the professional era.

The star was diagnosed with the serious kidney condition nephrotic syndrome in 1996 and underwent a kidney transplant in 2004.

Teimana Harrison hails from New Zealand and grew up idolising Lomu.

“He was the most wonderful person, very gracious, very humble”.

“New Zealand have had a great year winning the World Cup but the loss of two legends is very sad as well. The thoughts of the entire country are with his family”, he said.

“In countries where rugby wasn’t their main sport, people still knew who Jonah Lomu was”.

“So sad, life is so cruel”, wrote Jonathan. When you think of ’95 you think of Nelson Mandela wearing the number six shirt and Jonah scoring four tries that destroyed us within 25 minutes. “He changed the face of the game in terms of what has followed on since”.

Bound by their shared fears for their respective futures due to poor health, their reunion earlier in 2015, filmed for the documentary “Jonah Lomu: Back to South Africa”, was an emotional one. The 1995 World Cup was such a key moment for rugby. His blend of pace, power and size never before seen. He also is the holder of the record for most meters made in World Cup competition, at 1,219m (4,999 ft). He’s genuinely one of the iconic figures of world rugby.