One of the most extraordinary things about Jonah (apart from the fact that he could change direction like a housefly or simply plough through like a rhino) was that, because of health problems that he'd had since childhood, even at his peak he was probably operating at maybe 85%! A true great - loved, appreciated and hugely missed across the globe.
I met Jonah i took my younger brother who was a tetrapeligic in a wheelchair and we were at the movie cinema in Auckland in Manukau and Jonah walks in with his first wife Tania from RSA and he saw my brother and I decided to sit next to my brother and had a long chat with my brother who was a huge fan. It was a day my brother never forgot Jonah giving him the time and sitting next to him. Jonah was head hunted by the NFL Dallas Cowboys he told us but declined there offer because he Loved representing his country and being a All Black player.
Alot of players were faster than Jonah over 100 metres. But in rugby its the first 10-20 that matter and JL is right up there. Explosive power like that at 110kg is devastating!
Thank you for reacting to Jonah Lomu. Unfortunately he passed away while young. He had kidney problems almost all of his life but despite that he was one of the best players, if not the GOAT ever.
I remember many moons ago going to watch my brother's high school 1st 15 team play against Lomu's team and thought...this Lomu dude is going to be a star one day...he definitely did! RIP to the GOAT of Rugby!
He was so strong and fast and not many could tackle him. I remember that in the 1995 Rugby World Cup South Africa put an 5K tackle bonus to any player that could bring him down. Respect to a real legend of the game. Rest in peace Lumo. KIA KAHA
6ft 5", 118kg and ran the 100m in 10.8 seconds. Could hit like freight train and had amazing footwork for a guy his size. Saw him play against Queensland at Ballymore for Auckland, in a pre-season game in around 1997-98. Ben Tune - a 100kg international winger was against him and he was just a speed bump all night long....Jonah was immense.
Jona Lomu is Tongan🇹🇴 and he revolutionized rugby by being the first Hulk lookin Wing ever...usually Wing Positions are more like Wide Receiver in American football 🏈 small and fast but Jona was not only fast but he was a freak of nature!!! then came The Tuilagi Bros...But most of them Big Strong are Pacific islanders....BEAST!!!
That was his 10 best tries in world cup games. He created and scored many that surpassed the ones on this list. Look at the ones he scored as a school boy. Astonishing!! In fact, most of the tries in this video was scored when he was barely 20 years old. The Dallas cowboys tried to recruit him with a huge salary, but he was not lured by wealth. Would love to have seen him as a running back though!
I remember many years ago now standing next to him outside a ladies changing room holding his then wife's handbag and things while she was in there trying something on. All these people kept coming over to him asking for his autograph and wanting to chat with the legend. He was incredibly humble and gave his precious family time to accommodate them in a gentle and friendly manner. Amazing, awe inspiring player but a fabulous guy too. Thanks for reminding me about it.
In the RWC 1995 cup the Springboks Strategy for the Final was to lock down Lomu, as they recognized that if they could lock him down, he could not power through the Springboks defense. 12 -15 win to the Springboks was well deserved! Lomu would play in his later years even while undergoing kidney disease treatment.
Yeah he couldn’t beat the bokke and all his highlights were against inferior teams. Ok now with the traditional bashing of the Kiwis done, lets be real here. Truth told, the man was a legend and every single one of the bokke of the 95 team I have met said he was probably the best competitor they have ever played against. The man was such a bloody fixture in my life, even as a South African, I still cant believe he’s gone. The world is a definitely less interesting with him not there. Dude is just a legend.
Seeing thee dates of the video clips in the corner and it hits hard that he started playing international and club rugby in 1994, was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in 1995 and on dialysis by 2003, kidney transplant in 2004, retired 2007, died 2015. It's likely that none of what we saw from him was 100% of what he could have been.
I love how you guys made a great video and the at the final hurdle have upset every single Rugby fan on the globe by saying that he is Samoan… 100% you just have Dwayne ‘the rock’ Johnson in your mind watching him when you saw Jonah…
Lomu was the greatest Rugby player ever. Died too young. When the New York Patriots came calling he declined as he wanted to just play for New Zealand in a black jersey. He could have become the greatest American Football Player ever if he wanted to. Better than Jim Brown or O J Simpson he would have become the MVP and GOAT in the history of Amercan Football. He was the complete package and played without any protection on his body. RIP Legend.
A player of his size would usually play as a forward or midfield but at 6ft 5 and 19 stone he could run the 100m in under 11 seconds and played as a winger. He took a lot of criticism when his form dropped off dramatically, he had kidney disease and told nobody as he continued to train and play. Even with kidney disease nobody could stop him
I saw him play at Twickenham in his testimonial where he captained against Martin Johnson’s side. Also worked with media pitch side in 1999 world cup Twickenham matches and saw NZ hammer France. Happy days and he was amazing
if you look at Lomu in 95' vs 99' he looks like he aged 10 years . Lomu played 60-70% of his potential at most due to Health Issues . BoJackson Status , MJ status . Tiger Woods status
As a kiwi I adored the way he played... my Family was in the All Blacks and I went to school with two mates that became All Blacks... and yes I come from All Black country by my name as I've had to hide from enemies here..!!!
JONAH wasn't a freak of nature. JONAH LOMU WAS AN ATHLETIC SUPERMAN! America has missed so much by alienating Rugby in the USA...Rugby is a common man's sport played Worldwide that deserves to be played in the USA! It's here Growling and Growing to be played and seen here! America has missed so much of this Ultimate Sport! RIP JONAH WERE WITH YOU!🏉🤜
Well, he was Tongan, but by ethnicity and descent, but he was (I keep typing 'is') a New Zealander. He was fantastic. However, I always considered that as a player, he was a poor tackler. His usual tactic was to grab an opponent by the Jersey, especially the collar, and throw them over the touch line for the throw-in. Tackling is an important job for a winger. There were better rugby tacklers. Often last line of defence, except perhaps that of full-back (usually wearing the number 15 jersey.)
@@christopherhunt9078 He was an amazing player in his position of winger, in the sense that he performed his primary function of scoring tries. He may not have been an all-round player but he had good hands, accelerated fast and was alomost unstoppable on attack. To defend against him properly required several defenders, which opened up other gaps on the field.
I heard a rumour that the NFL tried to sign him when he came on the scene. He apparently didnt want to play American Football because it was too boring.
These are only the tries he scored at the World Cup… He scored better tries at club level that need to be seen also Jonah had only one pier … Rupeni Caucaunabuca. Check out his highlights
