An alternative look at a truly great man.
It’s often said by many professional sportspeople that the greatest players on the field make for the nicest people off it. For these elite athletes, there’s less to prove and more time to help.
We already know that Jonah Lomu was one of the best ever, and if the above does indeed ring true within the professional game then you can go ahead and double Lomu’s quality.
The outpouring of emotion since the All Black’s tragic passing backs up the above, and there’s one message of condolence that is especially poignant for many reasons.
Difficult to write with eyes full of tears on my eye tracker. Thank you for EVERYTHING Jonah. RIP my dear friend!
— Joostvdwesthuizen (@9Joost) November 18, 2015
You’re going to see a lot of highlight reels and extended tributes over the coming days and weeks, about a player who would destroy teams all on his own in his prime, with none of the airs and graces that can come with domination attached.
He shot to fame at the 1995 World Cup, scoring an incredible seven tries in five matches, two of which were against Ireland, before famously doing this to the English in the semi-final.
Clip via woreilly100
Just a year later, Lomu would start to develop the kidney problems that would plague him for the rest of his life. Yet, he continued to endure and achieve greatness along the way.
He grew up in an extremely tough part of Aucklund, where defending himself was a necessity rather than a choice and a lifestyle that forced upon him a lot of pent up anger that he took to the rugby pitch.
There is no doubt that this aggression made him almost superhuman against many opponents, but this on-field intensity stemmed from an extremely dark place. Growing up, Lomu’s uncle was decapitated, his uncle was killed in a knife attack and Lomu, himself, was stabbed twice.
Survival came at a cost; he and his family had very little money and this anecdote emphasises a young Lomu’s need to improvise in order to make it.
https://youtu.be/jIjaxF-4Px0
Clip via The Clare Balding Show
His escape and fame were both crafted on the rugby pitch and there is no doubt which of those gifts he cherished more from the game of rugby.
It would have been understandable if Lomu had carried the scars from the past into adulthood, or if his standing among his peers had caused an inflated ego, but there was an incredibly soft and caring side to his character.
This brings us to back to the tweet at the top of this article and a documentary called, Back to South Africa, where he visited the home of former South Africa international and motor neurone disease sufferer, Joost van der Westhuizen.
The pair were fierce rivals in their peak, having famously clashed at the World Cup final in ’95, but the love and compassion that Lomu had for his friend was genuinely heartwarming.
Somehow, Lomu managed to convey selflessness, a sense of camaraderie, motivation, influence, sincerity, tenderness and humour in a brief conversation with an old foe.
In this writer’s humble opinion, there is no greater example of warmth.
Clip via ashok kumar
Jonah Lomu was the definition of a man who, for a time, was bigger than his sport, but who used this fame in the most positive way possible.
A true role model and hero. He was more than just an exceptional rugby player.
RIP.
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