New Lomu?...

[Dooley]

Naps Nalaga might well become an international rugby star in no time... He's absolutely unstoppable ine the French championship "Top14" as is shown by this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=FR&hl=...p;v=Ub1d5ZBMvPw

 

[Nickdnz]

He's good but Jomu worthy? He is a solid runner but I don't see him in the same light as many other Fijian wingers. Not to say he is bad, I watch Clemont to play because of him but he isn't "star worthy" in my opinion. One thing I do like is how he suddenly accelorates whilst being tackled as it gives the oppersition no time to adjust to the speed.

 

[Scrumit2]

I'm sorry to say there will never be another Lomu! Like Bo Jackson (youtube him, he would have been better than lomu in rugby) he was once in a lifetime athlete for his sport. A great example is my clubs star and Reds Man Digby I. If you look how hard he runs I don't think I've seen many run as hard. Yes he does not have Lomu Power, but Lomu would have killed men if he ran as hard as Digby! And the fruits of Digby's efforts is season ending sholder surgery and a miss on the tri-nation. NO ONE deserves a Wallaby sport more than Digby and his body failed to meet with his effort. The number of athletes that you can sit see the marks where God laid his hands I can count on both hands and have a few fingers left. Lomu was one of them. If you get a chance check out his 2001 video. This was shot after his weight gain and he can still balence himself on a swiss ball and perform arm curls. That a Super Freak.

 

[Dooley]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Scrumit2 @ May 15 2009, 12:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I'm sorry to say there will never be another Lomu! Like Bo Jackson (youtube him, he would have been better than lomu in rugby) he was once in a lifetime athlete for his sport. A great example is my clubs star and Reds Man Digby I. If you look how hard he runs I don't think I've seen many run as hard. Yes he does not have Lomu Power, but Lomu would have killed men if he ran as hard as Digby! And the fruits of Digby's efforts is season ending sholder surgery and a miss on the tri-nation. NO ONE deserves a Wallaby sport more than Digby and his body failed to meet with his effort. The number of athletes that you can sit see the marks where God laid his hands I can count on both hands and have a few fingers left. Lomu was one of them. If you get a chance check out his 2001 video. This was shot after his weight gain and he can still balence himself on a swiss ball and perform arm curls. That a Super Freak.[/b]

Thanks for the tip, mate... I'll have a look!

 

[O'Rothlain]

Pretty awesome runner. I can see why the comparison is being made. We'll have to really see him on the world stage, though. Exciting to see a power runner like that.

 

[tommowins]

Very, very impressive. He gets the handoff in just the right place to just put them out of his way. In the first try, first handoff he gets it straight on the shoulder and stops the guy who is running at him.

 

[Woldog]

You guys do realize that Lomu was only so good because he changed the way Wingers were viewed right? no other team had a counter for someone that big and that fast at that point in time.
Just like all Reds players thinking Leroy Houston would be the next Toutai Kefu.

 

[tommowins]

Yeah I gotta say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby.

 

[Nickdnz]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tommowins @ May 16 2009, 10:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Yeah I gotta say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby.[/b]

I don't know about that, to be honest. He had simular pace to some of the fastest wingers today and is at least 20kg heavier, and that isn't taking into account his strength. I have got Lomu talking to my collage on thursday about rebuilding Star Ship Hospital, I am really excited.

 

[Paqui]

Not even close... He seems to be really quick, and his hand-off skills are pretty amazing, but he isn't this kind of animal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsXTa7UCGlk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Judms69Zw8g

 

[Gavin]

Once again another fantastic winger in a league comes along and everyone asks if he will be the next Jonah Lomu. Fact is there will never be another Jonah. Lomu could amaze on the international stage as well as in club rugby. Most wingers should be graded on how they would fair on the world stage - because that is where the best of the best play.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Yeah I gotta say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby[/b]

That is a fair point, but completely out of context. Between 1995 and 2001(ish) Mr Lomu, working only at maybe 70%, was the king of wingers and ruled the rugby field. It boggles the mind to consider what he would have been like if he was 100% fit Look at all the great international wingers atm in the world. Habana, Williams, Rokocoko and list could go on - they have strength, speed and acceleration but not in the same quanity that Lomu possessed. The game now is very defensive organised which means that, if Lomu was still playing, there would be two, maybe three defenders marking him constantly - this would then open up more space for his team-mates. To say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby might be true in some aspect of the game, he may not run 100meters and carry three defenders on his back to the try-line, but he would add something to the game via other methods.

 

[Steve-o]

That's basically what happened when Lomu was still around and the AB's played the Boks.

 

[candybum]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gavin @ May 16 2009, 09:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Once again another fantastic winger in a league comes along and everyone asks if he will be the next Jonah Lomu. Fact is there will never be another Jonah. Lomu could amaze on the international stage as well as in club rugby. Most wingers should be graded on how they would fair on the world stage - because that is where the best of the best play.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

Yeah I gotta say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby[/b]

That is a fair point, but completely out of context. Between 1995 and 2001(ish) Mr Lomu, working only at maybe 70%, was the king of wingers and ruled the rugby field. It boggles the mind to consider what he would have been like if he was 100% fit Look at all the great international wingers atm in the world. Habana, Williams, Rokocoko and list could go on - they have strength, speed and acceleration but not in the same quanity that Lomu possessed. The game now is very defensive organised which means that, if Lomu was still playing, there would be two, maybe three defenders marking him constantly - this would then open up more space for his team-mates. To say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby might be true in some aspect of the game, he may not run 100meters and carry three defenders on his back to the try-line, but he would add something to the game via other methods.
[/b][/quote]

Very true, Lomu had unbelievable power and speed to match and beat almost anyone. I'd add that nowadays, we see great wingers whose workrate is very high and who are very good technically in their positions (such as positioning) so this is where i think Lomu would struggle in todays game. Like you said he never played at 100% because of his illness so it may be unstandable that he didn't have a greatest of workrates as a winger.

Anyways the different between Nalaga and Lomu for me, is Nalaga has a very good fend on him and has a Caucau swag about the way he runs and Lomu is just raw power! just like watching a train! lol Tacklers bounce off (and sometimes fly off) Lomu, just look at the try he scored against France WC 99.

 

[Stillknox]

Here's the ultimate weapon against Nalaga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4IJE4dvqM

 

[tommowins]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gavin @ May 16 2009, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Once again another fantastic winger in a league comes along and everyone asks if he will be the next Jonah Lomu. Fact is there will never be another Jonah. Lomu could amaze on the international stage as well as in club rugby. Most wingers should be graded on how they would fair on the world stage - because that is where the best of the best play.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

Yeah I gotta say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby[/b]

That is a fair point, but completely out of context. Between 1995 and 2001(ish) Mr Lomu, working only at maybe 70%, was the king of wingers and ruled the rugby field. It boggles the mind to consider what he would have been like if he was 100% fit Look at all the great international wingers atm in the world. Habana, Williams, Rokocoko and list could go on - they have strength, speed and acceleration but not in the same quanity that Lomu possessed. The game now is very defensive organised which means that, if Lomu was still playing, there would be two, maybe three defenders marking him constantly - this would then open up more space for his team-mates. To say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby might be true in some aspect of the game, he may not run 100meters and carry three defenders on his back to the try-line, but he would add something to the game via other methods.
[/b][/quote]

Valid points all of those.

Funny how this topic seems to be less about Nalaga and more about Lomu.

 

[Gavin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tommowins @ May 17 2009, 01:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Gavin @ May 16 2009, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Once again another fantastic winger in a league comes along and everyone asks if he will be the next Jonah Lomu. Fact is there will never be another Jonah. Lomu could amaze on the international stage as well as in club rugby. Most wingers should be graded on how they would fair on the world stage - because that is where the best of the best play.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

Yeah I gotta say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby[/b]

That is a fair point, but completely out of context. Between 1995 and 2001(ish) Mr Lomu, working only at maybe 70%, was the king of wingers and ruled the rugby field. It boggles the mind to consider what he would have been like if he was 100% fit Look at all the great international wingers atm in the world. Habana, Williams, Rokocoko and list could go on - they have strength, speed and acceleration but not in the same quanity that Lomu possessed. The game now is very defensive organised which means that, if Lomu was still playing, there would be two, maybe three defenders marking him constantly - this would then open up more space for his team-mates. To say that Lomu would be less impressive in today's rugby might be true in some aspect of the game, he may not run 100meters and carry three defenders on his back to the try-line, but he would add something to the game via other methods.
[/b][/quote]

Valid points all of those.

Funny how this topic seems to be less about Nalaga and more about Lomu.
[/b][/quote]
That's cause Lomu is the king, and everyone knows it

 

[Dooley]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (tommowins @ May 16 2009, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Funny how this topic seems to be less about Nalaga and more about Lomu.[/b]

Not that surprising: Nalaga, a young Fijian playing in France, is relatively unknown while Lomu, although retired, still fires everybody's imagination...

 

[best_fullback]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Stillknox @ May 17 2009, 12:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Here's the ultimate weapon against Nalaga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4IJE4dvqM[/b]

Hell of a tackle. Put him well and truely on his ass!

I bet Leguizamon was like "SIT DOWN!"

 

[Woldog]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

maybe three defenders marking him constantly - this would then open up more space for his team-mates.[/b]

Watch some Super 14 games with Matt Giteau playing some time, 10 meters out in one game and they had 5 people marking Giteau, he got the ball they rushed at him, he didn't take a step just did a quick flick pass and put someone over, doesn't matter who you are, Lomu, Giteau, if you are considered dangerous they will mark you anyway.

but my point still stands, Lomu was only great because there was no one to counter him, wingers at that point were still the smallest and nimblest players, Australia's closest thing to a Lomu came to late and everyone expected large wingers (I speak of Wendell Sailor size wise so don't QQ about Lomu being 1000240328432 times better than Wendell I simply don't care.)

 

[Wally]

I don't know about a new Lomu but if you're after another player who can be just as damaging as he was look no further than Jamal Idris. The rugby league player is 18 years old and is one of the stand out centres in the NRL. He absolutely dominated the Dragons on Friday night who are currently leading the competition. He's still at school.

If only Australian rugby could produce kids like him. Not to mention Israel Falou and Greg Inglis, arguably two of most talented players in either code. Those who follow the NRL will agree.