Jonah Lomu will be remembered for his rampaging runs and turbo-charged hand-offs but he also changed the All Blacks for ever and his legacy lives onThese are days of contrast in unique Zealand. The nation is still aglow with the achievements of the finest rugby union team of all time,a group so wedded to the notion of “filling the shirt” for however much or small time they have as Blacks that they threaten to burst the very seams they are honouring. On Wednesday NZ heard that the shirt’s proudest tenant – you’re never an owner – had taken it off for the final time. Richie McCaw, the best of the best, or will play no more for his country. And neither will Dan Carter,Ma’a Nonu, Conrad Smith, or Keven Mealamu,nor Tony Woodcock.
The World Cup celebrations were already tempered by the fondness of the farewells to these revered players. And they are hushed now by the death of Jonah Lomu, the wing who made a team sport a one-man charge. When he was fit in 1995 – and even when he was in the early stages of his illness in 1999 – he bestrode the rugby field like no player had ever done before. He ran like the wind raging through the Cook Strait on legs the size of the Southern Alps. He had a turbo-charged hand-off that could halt the Waikato River in spate. He was the ultimate construction of destruction in a contact sport. Related: Jonah Lomu effort against England tops poll for greatest Rugby World Cup try Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com