In August, The Great Jonah Lomu spoke about his dream of seeing boys becoming men but the 18th of November denied him that opportunity, putting an end of life to a 40 years old genius.
"My goal is to make it to the boys’ 21sts,’ says Lomu. ‘There are no guarantees that will happen, but it’s my focus. It’s a milestone that every parent wants to get to. My dad died young and that makes you think. I want my boys to be healthy and if they get to 21, they should be fit and healthy and live a normal life."
The rugby's gentle giant catapulted to world fame since the 1995 World Cup. It seemed since then that nothing could ever stop him, not even the rare kidney disorder known as nephrotic syndrome. A kidney transplant in 2004 fixed him for seven years but his body rejected it in 2011. Since then he became a prisoner of dialysis. His ambition for life centered on seeing the sons he thought he could never have grow into men.
Having scored 37 tries in 64 matches for the All Blacks and still golds the record as the youngest All Blacks player to ever dawn the black and white New Zealand jersey.
He had one playing philosophy which is " If I can't get you off my way, then I'll simply run over you." A philosophy that worked for him excellently since he was as quick as Husein Bolt and yet big in size. Yes a lot of South Africans will always remember how Chester Williams silenced him in the 1995 World Cup final but also won't forget how he demolished England before that final WC.
Sadly, Jonah Lomu never won a World Cup (as was part of the unlucky group of the All Blacks players) but he won all the other international tournament one can think of.
He will be remembered not just of his playing excellence but also his off the field abilities to unite nations irrespective of their colour.
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