RIP Jonah Lomu

laraghrider

Jonah Lomu what a legend. The perfect player at the perfect time. Rugby going professional needed a mega star to reach new levels and provided just that. I don't always contribute to the rugby forum but how can you stay away when something as sad as this happens.

His comments after the '95 WC about being involved in something so special were a mark of the man.

RIP

Shermanator

Gutted this morning when I read the news. What a Man. A great ambassador for the sport

Clearlier

So sad. It's amazing to think of what he achieved considering the health problems that he had. I know that most people remember him stumbling over Mike Catt but one abiding memory for me is of Maurice Field (definitely picked for his defensive abilities) holding on to one of Lomu's legs for dear life as he thundered on down the field.

I don't think that we'll ever see someone transcend the sport in the same way that he did.

deadybai

I was born in 93 but if it wasn't for Lomu I wouldn't have been such a big rugby fan as I am today. In fact I probably wouldnt have watched it at all in my younger days if it wasnt for him. I grew up in a very rural small village in Ireland which lives and breaths GAA. To have an impact on me just shows how special he was.

I always have an image of him with that yellow ball and his (Ronaldo haircut) but more importantly what made him stand out was that he was such a nice person.

I still watch his highlight videos on youtube every now an again. Brilliant player who sadly I didnt get to see too much of given his kidney troubles during the early 2000's.

He was a complete athlete too. 120kg and could run the 100m sprint in 10.8 seconds :O .

Great player but more importantly a brilliant person. RIP Jonah Lomu. Gone but will always be remembered

evil_seed

RIP Jonah. What a hero of a man.
A person of that stature and impact never leaves the earth as he will forever live on in our memories.

mfceiling

RIP Jonah

A beast of a man on the field. Had the pleasure of seeing him play years ago in Sydney against the NSW Warraths. He got sent off!!

Funny one on twitter this morning with a picture of Joanna Lumley with the caption....RIP, can't believe she was only 40!!

Jawgap

deadybai wrote: »

I was born in 93 but if it wasn't for Lomu I wouldn't have been such a big rugby fan as I am today. In fact I probably wouldnt have watched it at all in my younger days if it wasnt for him. I grew up in a very rural small village in Ireland which lives and breaths GAA. To have an impact on me just shows how special he was.

I always have an image of him with that yellow ball and his (Ronaldo haircut) but more importantly what made him stand out was that he was such a nice person.

I still watch his highlight videos on youtube every now an again. Brilliant player who sadly I didnt get to see too much of given his kidney troubles during the early 2000's.

He was a complete athlete too. 120kg and could run the 100m sprint in 10.8 seconds :O .

Great player but more importantly a brilliant person. RIP Jonah Lomu. Gone but will always be remembered

......as evidenced by his school sports results!

swiwi_

mfceiling wrote: »

RIP Jonah

A beast of a man on the field. Had the pleasure of seeing him play years ago in Sydney against the NSW Warraths. He got sent off!

Not for foul play though. From memory was for 2 YCs, the second was for a deliberate knockdown IIRC. He was always a clean player even though a physical monster.

kevohmsford

Sad news. Legend of the game and great ambassador. RIP.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Surely everyone's standout memory of Lomu is the mighty Peter Stringer taking him down that one time.

mfceiling

swiwi_ wrote: »

Not for foul play though. From memory was for 2 YCs, the second was for a deliberate knockdown IIRC. He was always a clean player even though a physical monster.

Yeah...I think the first was for a dangerous tackle...more the fact that he was so massive that any contact from him was going to be dangerous!!

penybont exile

First saw Jonah Lomu play at the HK Sevens in 1995. I was there with a few mates and we all were saying .... What's this guy gonna be like in the 15 a side game?

Well we didn't have long to find out ..... Cue the WC in SA.

It was almost as if the top level of the sport had suddenly become like a school match with one physically superior boy essentially being the difference.

If I remember rightly in the first couple of minutes of the final NZ split the SA defence .... Jonah on the crash but JVdW floored him with a great low tackle which kinda set the tone for the game. Two great players who both suffered ill health.

Never met him but he seemed like a personable guy. RIP.

bilston

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Surely everyone's standout memory of Lomu is the mighty Peter Stringer taking him down that one time.

I was thinking about that this morning. I also remember him tearing through Ireland at the '95 WC as well.

Another memory would be him scoring the winning try in the Bledisloe Cup match against Australia back in 2000. It was one the greatest test matches you will ever see and Lomu won it in the last minute.

NUTLEY BOY

Sad news. A marvellous athlete. RIP.

inforfun

Very sad news.

I never really was into rugby* but this guy was the first rugby player that seriously impressed me.

I think he is one of those players you can truly say he is an icon of his sport and will make people aware of that sport in countries where it isnt popular.

*(Rugby is not a big sport in my country)

abff

Very sad news. An absolute legend gone far too soon.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

They're saying it was a heart attack.

He only arrived back in New Zealand on Tuesday from his time in the UK for the World Cup. Small mercy that his family didn't have to deal with that in Dubai or in London.

Quint2010

I remember seeing Mike Catt in Burger King a few weeks after the World Cup in '95 and he still had Lomu's stud marks on his face. He was lucky to get that close to him. RIP.

titan18

RIP. First superstar in the game, and one of the main reasons a lot of casual people would have got interested. His name is on the only good rugby game ever released too.

play it again

My first nick name was lomu :-( very sad today to hear about the gentle giant , rest in peace big fella , have a good journey

ted1

He truly was a legend, an inspiration to us all. I was playing on the JCT for Terenure in 95 and the whole time used to get so much from watching him play.
He set the style and standard for professional rugby today.

I'll always remember himself and Simon Geoghans tackle,

swiwi_

Class!

Snickers Man

It's no detriment to his rugby prowess but I have a special memory of him appearing on the spoof sports quiz They Think It's All Over. Before watching the clip below it should be pointed out that earlier in the show the presenter Nick Hancock had managed to inveigle boxer Chris Eubank, one of the participants, into saying that Lomu was "A big poof"

That explains Hancock clapping his hands in glee before introducing the mystery guest and the subsequent references to "Chris's mate"

Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd1hfFCYAzg

awec

http://allsports.com.gh/other_sports/legendary-jonah-lomu-a-true-sporting-great-id4371851.html

Former England coach Clive Woodward provided an amusing anecdote on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, as he reflected on Lomu's fearsome reputation.

"The night before a game I used to list the two teams and I said in a team meeting 'there's absolutely nobody I'd swap man for man'. I was doing my motivational talk," explained Woodward.

"I got to the end and Will Greenwood put his hand up and said: 'Clive, we're all with you, but on behalf of all the team I think we'd swap Austin Healey for Jonah Lomu'."

Yeah_Right

awec wrote: »

http://allsports.com.gh/other_sports/legendary-jonah-lomu-a-true-sporting-great-id4371851.html

Former England coach Clive Woodward provided an amusing anecdote on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, as he reflected on Lomu's fearsome reputation.

"The night before a game I used to list the two teams and I said in a team meeting 'there's absolutely nobody I'd swap man for man'. I was doing my motivational talk," explained Woodward.

"I got to the end and Will Greenwood put his hand up and said: 'Clive, we're all with you, but on behalf of all the team I think we'd swap Austin Healey for Jonah Lomu'."

Lets be honest though, they probably would have been happy to swap anyone for Austin Healy.

The Rape of Lucretia

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

They're saying it was a heart attack.

Franno reiterating a theory he has put out there before a few times. And its a question worth asking:
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/neil-francis-on-jonah-lomu-a-life-lost-needlessly-34222682.html
Its a possibility.

Great player in all respects whatever. The Mike Catt moment is one of rugby's greatest.

CatFromHue

I remember looking up papers on the dangers of Creatine before and it seemed that for most people it was grand but if you had a kidney problem it made it worse.

The Rape of Lucretia

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

Franno reiterating a theory he has put out there before a few times. And its a question worth asking:
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/neil-francis-on-jonah-lomu-a-life-lost-needlessly-34222682.html
Its a possibility.

Great player in all respects whatever. The Mike Catt moment is one of rugby's greatest.

The attitude towards creatine over here blows my mind.

Trust me, there are loads of guys who have taken loads more creatine than any of these guys would have. They didn't go into renal failure or require transplants.

It's like anything, you take a stupid amount and you can do damage. It's a shame there isn't the same attitude towards alcohol in this country as there is to the likes of creatine, protein powder, gripe water and St John's Wort.

irishbucsfan

Some of the media pointed to the fact that Polynesians are predisposed to the disease, but that is not necessarily true. There is just as high an incidence per capita in Australian Aboriginals, Africans and African Americans. You can't just assume racial predisposition. Neither do you just wake up in the morning and suddenly discover that you just have it. It is a disease of gradual onset. So what caused it?

So... what you're saying is there's a high incidence in Polynesians?

Is it a coincidence that two players from the same team, Jonah Lomu and Joely Vidiri, both should acquire Nephrotic Syndrome and even if they had or had not taken Creatine can we link Creatine and Nephrotic Syndrome?

Is it a coincidence that two Polynesians both contracted a disease they are genetically predisposed towards contracting? I wouldn't say so, no.

Francis loses the run of himself so easilly. Creatine has been in heavy use by rugby players for 20 years now, and yet Francis' examples are Fijian and Tongan.

hogandrew

irishbucsfan wrote: »

So... what you're saying is there's a high incidence in Polynesians?



Is it a coincidence that two Polynesians both contracted a disease they are genetically predisposed towards contracting? I wouldn't say so, no.

Francis loses the run of himself so easilly. Creatine has been in heavy use by rugby players for 20 years now, and yet Francis' examples are Fijian and Tongan.

But in fairness he does quote a 25 year old paper saying they are not sure of the effects!