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Jonah Lomu

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THE CHIROPRACTOR101

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discuss...

discuss the man who destroyed defences in the mid 90s,who modernized pro rugby and was the first true international sports star from rugby union...

6'5,120kg winger who could run 100 metres in 10seconds and benchpress over 130kgs,had raw power and speed and made his debut in the allblacks as the youngest player ever to do so at 19 years of age

he then went on to destroy everything that stood in his path at the 95 world cup until he and the allblacks were stopped by the great sth african side who eventually went onto become the world champions

he continued to terrorise opposing defences and stun the thousands of fans he attracted to allblacks test matches,auckland blues/npc games and the wellington lions fixtures
his personal life grew in the papers and on t.v and his personal issues with his childhood,family and especially his upbringing made his background more controversial and attracting more dillema off field....

although all of this was happening in his early twentys he constantly proved his worth on the field time and time again

at the 99 world cup,the all blacks failed once again in one of the great upsets in sporting history which saw the french team go into the finals to face australia when new zealand were expected to win....
especially when jonah lomu had another great tournament by doing what hes famous for 'breaking the defence down with every touch of the ball'

after this world cup lomu continued to play on into the new century with wellington hurricanes/lions winning an npc ***le with them but he was constantly missing from action from super12/npc...but was a automatic pick for the allblacks when he was healthy

in 2002/2003 it was revealed that jonah had kidney problems and had to undergo dialysis which was concieved as the end for jonah lomu...
his heart and his coconut staunchness said otherwise and he underwent a different surgery hiding his kidney transplant behind his ribs for protection as he "still" wants to play rugby...and still wants to represent new zealand

he got half of his wish and continues to play rugby in wales for the cardiff blues for the 05/06 season in hope to get back in the southern hemisphere scene and make the allblacks in time for world cup: france 2007

GO JONAH...i got ya back

ive seen stranger things like u.f.o's and **** flying around so why not?

GO lomu

-chiro'practical writing'practor
 
Some good points there, certainly a well made case that's for sure.

Yeah Lomu is a legend and will get my vote purely for trampling all over Catt in that Cape Town semi final, great stuff, made up for his massacre of us in the first game.
 
Jonah Lomu is a monster of Rugby for sure and deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. He's actually the first rock star of Rugby in some way.

On the other hand he capitalised a lot on his natural skill and had/has some well known weaknesses in term of defensive skill or on high balls that don't put him in the category genius of Rugby with a fully complete skill set. He's definitively not the greates player and would not receive the application form for this ***le either in my opinion.
 
i say no.

not for the first ledgend in the trf hall of fame.

he's definitely of the calibre, but i think there are other players more deserving.
 
yeah i think he should be in there. I saw his first game live against france at lancaster park, he didn't have a good game, and i didn't think he was that big when i got his autograph (i was like 14 or something) but i thought he could become a good player.

sure enough 95 world cup he comes along and was the talk of the tornament, he was big, powerful, and fast. and that game against england OMG :)

my vote is a yes :)
 
Yep Jonag Lomu is one of the best players the world has ever seen. The speed and agility of a back and the power of a forward - he totally destroyed every opposition he faced.

Even after he has surgery for his kidneys, he still has a will to play rugby again. He wants to play for New Zealand again. He wanst to win a world cup with them. He has amazing willpower.

He globalised rugby and everybody knew his name.

Coco
 
Is playing well for the Blues this season, has lost allot of pace but can undersatnd that but he has not lost his power. Majority of the people fear him now just as before as he has a tendancy to run people over.
 
Jonah Lomu
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Jonah Tali Lomu (born May 12, 1975) is a New Zealand rugby union footballer who played 73 times (63 caps as an All Black) after debuting in 1994. Lomu, who is currently attempting a comeback after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2004, is generally regarded as the first superstar of rugby union's professional era.

Lomu was born in Auckland, New Zealand of Tongan descent. He grew up in South Auckland and attended Wesley College, Pukekohe.

trfjonah3jx.jpg


Genesis of a giant
Lomu's physique was particularly suited for rugby as he is large, fast, and strong - qualities he augments with aggression, skill, and an intimidating presence on the field.

At 1.96 metres, Lomu is as tall as most locks, and at 120 kilograms is as heavy as most prop forwards (that is, 6 ft 5 in tall and 271 lb). Despite his size, he was, when healthy, still able to run 100 metres (109.4 yards) in 10.8 seconds. At school his sprint training included running around the field, pulling a lawn-roller with a rope tied around his waist.

While at Wesley and being coached by Chris Grinter, Lomu became a mobile loose forward in the college's First XV. He was soon noticed by provincial rugby selectors, and played for the Counties Manukau NPC team for around 5 years.


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Career highs
Like John Kirwan, his All Blacks predecessor at left wing, Lomu was a phenomenon, and spectators leapt to their feet whenever he touched the ball. At one time Lomu was considered 'rugby union's biggest drawcard', swelling attendances at any match where he appeared.

At the age of 19 years and 45 days, Jonah Lomu became the youngest All Black test player as he debuted against France in 1994. His performance was middling - but the best was yet to come.


1995 World Cup
Jonah stunned international rugby audiences (and unsuspecting players) at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when he scored seven tries in five matches, including four in the semi-finals against England.

His style of play at times defied description; one commentator, Keith Quinn, was famously reduced to gasps as Lomu devastated England's backline. Will Carling labelled Lomu "a freak" after being steamrollered. Lomu's attacking style was one of pure power; he had a tendency to run straight into or over any defender with the misfortune to get in his way. When at the peak of his playing ability, he defeated up to five players on the way to the tryline.

The All Blacks also played an epic World Cup final match at Ellis Park against the Springboks, but despite his efforts, Lomu has never scored a try against that team.

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1999 World Cup
In 1999, he scored eight tries at the Rugby World Cup. He again played one of his finest matches in pool play against England (ref: [2]). Through his career, Lomu has scored 8 tries against England â€" more than any other All Black. Lomu also holds an unbeaten record of 20 tries in World Cup tournaments.


Bledisloe Cup
In 2000, Lomu starred in one of the most spectacular Bledisloe Cup matches ever , "brushing off the Australian backs like flies" to set up an early try. Later in the match, he "brushed past a desperate Stephen Larkham to tip-toe down the line and score the winning try".

trflomu6ew.jpg

Sevens
Lomu first came to international attention at the 1994 Hong Kong Sevens tournament, as part of a fearsome team including Lomu, Eric Rush, and Christian Cullen.

At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur he won a gold medal representing New Zealand in the Sevens Rugby event.

Lomu also led the New Zealand Sevens team to victory at the 2001 Sevens World Cup, filling in for Rush, who suffered a broken leg during the competition.


NZ Provincial sides
Apart from Counties, Lomu played for several provincial teams, in the NPC and Super 12 competitions. These included the Auckland Blues, Waikato Chiefs, and later the Wellington Lions and Hurricanes.


Health issues
At the end of 1996 Lomu was diagnosed as having nephrotic syndrome, a rare and serious kidney disorder. His rugby union career went on hold whilst the disorder was treated.

In May 2003, the NZRFU announced that Lomu had been put on dialysis three times a week due to deterioration in his kidney function.

Side effects of Lomu's dialysis treatment led to severe nerve damage in his feet and legs; his doctors warned him that he faced life in a wheelchair if a kidney transplant was not performed soon.

Late in March 2004, Lomu was quoted by a Hong Kong newspaper to the effect that a suitable live kidney donor had been found, and that he would have transplant surgery sometime during 2004. However, the former All Blacks team physician who is overseeing Lomu's treatment quickly denied the report. Nonetheless, at the end of July 2004 it was reported that Lomu had indeed undergone a kidney transplant on Tuesday, July 28, in Auckland, New Zealand. The kidney was in fact donated by Wellington radio presenter Grant Kereama. Lomu soon announced his intention to train for his rugby union renaissance in June 2005.

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Off the field
Early in his career, Jonah endeared himself to his fans by spending time signing autographs after provincial matches, for all children brave enough to approach him.

In 1995 Lomu won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Overseas Personality) Award. Lomu spent a few off-seasons commentating in England, where rugby union fans treat him like royalty.

For most of his professional career he was managed by raconteur Phil Kingsley-Jones, until 2004.

Lomu married South African Tanya Rutter in 1996, but in 1998 they separated. On August 21, 2003, Lomu married Fiona Taylor on Waiheke Island.


Comeback quest
After his successful kidney transplant, Lomu has devoted himself to training, and is aiming to play for the All Blacks in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In January 2005 he announced his intentions to lead a team against Martin Johnson's invitational XV on June 4, 2005, at Twickenham.

He scored a try in the first half of the Johnson testimonial, but injured his shoulder in the process and did not return for the second half, dampening an otherwise encouraging first appearance. As it turned out, his injury was more serious than originally thought; he underwent surgery on the shoulder that caused him to miss the 2005 NPC season.

Before returning to professional rugby, Jonah needed special clearance from the World Anti-Doping Agency, as one of the anti-rejection drugs he must take is on the WADA list of banned substances. On April 8, 2005, he signed a two-year contract to play for the New Zealand first division provincial team North Harbour in the NPC. On the 9th August 2005 he accepted a coaching position at North Harbour . Lomu and North Harbour agreed to allow him to play overseas during the NPC offseason, and he signed with the Cardiff Blues of the Celtic League and will begin play in Wales in December 2005. Lomu will return to North Harbour for the 2006 NPC season.


Jonah Lomu in full Cardiff Blues kitLomu made his first appearance in a competitive match since his transplant on December 10, 2005, in Cardiff's Heineken Cup fixture at Calvisano (Italy). He started and played 60 minutes. Although he did not score, he made a key line break that led to Cardiff's first try in their 25-10 win.


One week later he made his home debut for Cardiff at Cardiff Arms Park and played for the whole match. Again, he did not get onto the scoresheet but his presence was enough to create space for other players to score in a 43-16 win over Calvisano. In front of a record home crowd, Lomu scored his first try for Cardiff on December 27, 2005, with a man-of-the-match performance during a Celtic League 41-23 win against the Newport Gwent Dragons.
lomucalvisano5gr.jpg


There is precedent for a professional athlete returning to competition after kidney transplant surgery; two NBA players, Sean Elliott and Alonzo Mourning, have done so. However, the level of physical impact in rugby union is far greater than that in basketball.


*all info taken from wikipedia

jonah lomu webpage
www.jonahlomu.com

lomuruns7hs.jpg
 
HIs wife must be pretty tall too seeing as she doens't seem to be dwarfed by him in their wedding picture on the website. I think Jonah should be in there, but there are many others we're missing out on as CaptainAmerica pointed out.
 
yes yes yes...so where are they?...

all these legends?...i know of them but they didnt have any major influence on me as did jonah lomu....

stop saying this and that and post up these legends..

lomu BELONGS here...in this modern day with the turn of amatuer rugby into what it is now..jonah lomu changed that all dramatically
he marketed rugby and also was very very good at it..a perfect template for any aspiring rugby player as he has forever heart and determination on field and is the most humble off the field...

true..pioneers like meads need to be here but i will not do that becoz quite honestly i did not grow up watching these players..i grew up watching zinzan,campese,john eales,fitzy,chester williams,brian lima..thats my era

and why da f*** do players have to go in here in any particular order?..
like jonah is suppose to go second to someone..big deal..everyone here are legends in there own right...no chronological b.s should have its place here...if ya wanna make this a sacred place then people needs to do some deep homework on it and i dont see anyone doin that...

just let it be....keith wood,martin johnson are legends!..jonah aswell and we all agree to that...

aslong as when people come in here and they see these players and open the threads and get schooled on how great they were and the impact they had on there rugby nation and the general rugby public..then im happy..we should all be happy

gud day :bleh!:
 

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