At the peak of his powers he was reverently called a freak of nature, but now nature has cruelly turned on Jonah Lomu, the gargantuan All Blacks wing, who faces a life in a wheelchair if he does not get a kidney transplant.
Blessed with the power of an elephant and the speed of a panther, Lomu struck fear in those he faced at the height of his career, became the most marketable face of the sport worldwide, and was reputedly rugby’s wealthiest player as sponsors lined up with multimillion-dollar deals.
But, off the field this rugby phenomenon has been unable to beat a rare kidney disorder that is attacking his body — and the 125kg, 1,96m All Black who could run 100m in 10,8 seconds can now barely walk.
”The specialists I have spoken to say the only way I can reverse the problem that I have is to actually get a transplant,” he said.
After being diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome in 1996, Lomu sidestepped talk of a kidney transplant, believing it would curtail his career.
He continued playing for the All Blacks and starred in the 1999 World Cup just as he had four years earlier, but in 2002, a year before a third World Cup campaign, his health took a turn for the worse.
Less than a year later the nerve problem in his lower legs, related to his dialysis treatment, had reduced the 28-year-old’s movement to a painful shuffle.
”When you sit down with a nerve specialist and he says to you that you run the possibility of not walking again, it gives you an idea of what you’re coming up against.”
But the scorer of 37 tries in 63 Tests from 1994 to 2002 remains adamant he wants to play rugby again.
”You’ve got to finish on your own terms … I’ve always said that I’ve got unfinished business that I’ve got to finish.”
Born to Tongan parents in a humble, working-class suburb of Auckland, Lomu flirted briefly with a normal job when he left school — a bank clerk.
But at the age of 19 years and 45 days, the world changed for the physically imposing Lomu when he became the youngest player to pull on an All Black Test jersey and was on his way to becoming a sporting millionaire of legendary status.
At his best, Lomu was virtually unstoppable and the way he bulldozed over England fullback Mike Catt in the 1995 World Cup is one of the defining moments of his career.
As much as he loved rugby, he loved being an All Black and while he tinkered with lucrative overseas contracts he was never serious about leaving New Zealand.
”I love the game. I’m here because of the game. If it was for the money I wouldn’t be here [New Zealand],” he said in an interview early last year.
At the International Rugby Players Association awards last year, Lomu was awarded a special merit award.
He was given the rare honour — Jason Leonard and John Eales are the only other recipients — for his contribution to the international game.
Now he is undergoing kidney dialysis treatment six nights a week for eight hours, while sleeping and dreaming of a transplant hopefully within two to three years and determined to prove wrong the doubters who say a return to top rugby is unrealistic. — Sapa-AFP