I met him in Dublin when he was at the height of his fame and he came across as an incredibly humble,nice guy. Posing for pics with kids and chatting way above what you would have expected. RIP.
What a shame; I knew he had life long health issues and he was going through a particularly rough patch but it still comes as a shock. Quite literally a game changer in all senses. RIP.
Jonah led a transformation in what we thought players could do. I was lucky enough to meet him on a few occasions and he was a very humble & genuine guy. His health was incredibly poor in recent years after his kidney transplant but he worked hard to not limit him and the family. Kia Kaha, gone way too soon.
There’s a pic of him arriving at the airport on Tuesday evening looking completely normal, pushing his luggage…..next morning he’s dead! Awful…. and leaving two young kids too. 🙁
what a phenomenal player and a true gentle giant!! the first global superstar of rugby. i remember watching that game against England in 1995 and just being in awestruck at the sight of him almost single handedly destroying the England side. oh how he made me laugh when he flattened Mike Catt!!
there will never be another like him.
RIP big guy.
He was a real inspiration – at the time it felt rugby was not ‘cool’ and he just seemed to light things up and up the game to another level professionally and in enjoyment.
Never a big fan of rugby and would struggle to name more than half a dozen players of any nationality, but I remember watching Lomu and knowing that i was seeing someone very special.
Great player, a loss to the sport.