Piece on Jonah

For many New Zealanders, the enormity of Jonah Lomu's reputation will have come as a surprise.

Over the last two sad days, it's become a cliche to say he was a global sporting superstar. Often it was stated without a true appreciation of his international reputation and fame. Now there is a growing awareness that he was much more than just a wonderful, almost freakish All Black wing.

Within rugby he was held in the highest regard by team mates and opposition players alike. He was a difficult man to dislike because he was genuine. Never was he anything other than friendly, humble and sensitive. Rugby presented him with an opportunity to become influential in many ways and to earn a decent living, and he grasped it. But the influence he had and the fame he achieved for a period of twenty years was never selfishly used or abused.

Many New Zealanders, young and old, loved Jonah Lomu and greatly admired the thrills he produced on the rugby field. We shared his pain and embarrassment at secret marriages and breakups and we prayed and hoped that his failing kidneys would somehow be miraculously cured. We winced when we watched him doing his own dialysis, sticking needles into scarred and bulging veins. There was an outpouring of sympathy as he was seen shuffling onto a stage somewhere and questions were raised about his future.

All the while most of us reflected on what a great asset he'd been to the All Blacks when he was at his peak. Some unbelievable tries were scored by Jonah Lomu as he reinvented the winger's role. Those tries and his genial demeanour grabbed an audience that had never before been attracted to the sport and in countries in which rugby was hardly heard of.

His deeds were watched and enthused over by movie stars and musicians, politicians and superstars from other codes. He reached into the lives and homes of millions and mixed with famous people most New Zealanders would only have read about.

Of course he also earned a lot of money, but he worked for it. All the whle, Jonah Lomu remained balanced and sincere. He wore his fame well. There have been hundreds of stories emerging of his willingness to mix with ordinary people everywhere, to help them and of his overall generosity. He developed a sincerity in his speech and behaviour that belied his fame and which should be used as an example to all young people..no, to all people full stop.

I'm going to end with that cliche. He became rugby's first global superstar and remained one until the day he died- in fact even after death.

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