Rugby legend Jonah Lomu dies aged 40

The rugby world was left mourning on Wednesday, with the news that New Zealand international player and general legend of the game Jonah Lomu had died, aged 40.

Lomu – who had 63 caps with the country’s All Blacks side between 1994 and 2002 – had returned to Auckland with his family one day earlier, having combined a holiday with a promotional tour in the United Kingdom during the Rugby World Cup.

The New Zealand-born player of Tongan heritage began his career in 1994 for provincial side Counties Manukau. He was initially a forward, before shifting to the left wing – something he described as “the best move I could have made”.

In the same year he became the youngest ever All Black at the age of 19 years and 45 days – a statistic that still stands. And after playing just two test matches – both losses against France at home – he was included in the squad for New Zealand’s failed bid for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa.

Though the team did not manage to come away with the trophy, Lomu managed to score an impressive seven tries in five matches. South Africa went on to win a try-less final 15-12 with a drop goal in extra time.

Lomu continued to represent New Zealand on the world rugby stage through the rest of the 1990s, despite being diagnosed with the rare kidney disorder ‘nephrotic syndrome’ in 1996.

After New Zealand’s loss to France at the semi-final stage of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, there was widespread speculation Lomu would defect to play in American football’s NFL competition, or England’s rugby premiership. Lomu, however, stayed true to his country and its national sport, playing for the All Blacks and Wellington until 2003.

His health, however, continued to deteriorate, and it was revealed in May 2003 that Lomu was undergoing thrice-weekly dialysis. In mid-2004, he received a kidney transplant from a popular New Zealand radio presenter, and in 2005 was feeling fit enough to return to the pitch. He remained an active player until 2010, pulling on jerseys for North Harbour, Cardiff and Marseille before hanging up his boots for the last time at the age of 35.

Lomu was also one of the first rugby players to capitalise on his fame, lending his name to a number of business ventures, including popular video games Jonah Lomu Rugby and Rugby Challenge.

After his 2004 kidney transplant failed in 2011, Lomu’s health deteriorated further, and was a focus of his UK tour this year. “By the end of it I’ll have learnt the ins and outs of every clinic in the country”, he joked to the Telegraph at the start of the World Cup, referring to his dialysis.

It is not immediately clear if his ill health contributed to his sudden death, but what is clear is the rugby world has suffered a great loss. Considered by the New Zealand Herald – and indeed by many fans – as the “first and probably only global rugby superstar” – the game with the oval ball hasn’t produced a player like him since.

Jonah Lomu is survived by his wife Nadene and their children Brayley, six, and Dhyreille, five.