Sir Clive Woodward: ‘Jonah Lomu took rugby to a new level’

Two little boys, the children of a giant – a giant in so many ways – and while we focus on Jonah the athlete, the greatest tragedy is for his family.

The world lost a rugby legend on Wednesday with the death of former New Zealand All Blacks wingman Jonah Lomu.

According to the NY Times, after his stellar performance in the 1995 Rugby World Cup in Cape Town, Lomu became the sports first millionaire. Lomu had struggled with a kidney illness for 20 years.

Lomu was married three times and leaves a wife Nadene and two young sons; Brayley, 6, and Dyreille, 5.

He played for several domestic teams in his homeland – Auckland Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes, North Harbour, Counties Manukau and Wellington – and also had a stint in Wales with the Blues, for whom he played 10 matches.

A winger on New Zealand’s celebrated national rugby team, the All Blacks – a name derived more than 100 years ago from the distinctive color of their uniforms – he represented his country in more than 60 global matches, most prominently in the 1995 World Cup.

Lomu was recently working across the United Kingdom on the World Cup trophy tour to help promote this year’s tournament.

He scored four times in the semi-final against England, famously trampling over fullback Mike Catt for his first touchdown.

Lomu had suffered from a serious kidney condition from as early as 1996 and underwent a transplant in 2004.

Key tweeted: “Deeply saddened to hear of Jonah Lomu’s unexpected passing this morning. A very special person”.

“If you saw him running at you in the line it was like, ‘oh my god, here we go, this is going to be heavy”. “So sad, life is so cruel”.

“I think the word “legend” is used a lot with people and in his case he is what I call a true legend”. He single handedly changed the game of rugby. “My thoughts are with your family”.

Jonah Lomu was arguably the greatest player to set foot on the rugby field. His blend of pace, power and size never before seen.

“You could say when rugby had to go through that transition, that was probably more important than winning a World Cup”.

Bach has joined sporting leaders around the world in recognising Lomu’s massive contribution to modern rugby. A man who reinvented the wing position who, in his pomp, was simply unplayable, no matter who the opposition.