Lomu,rugby’s first genuine international superstar, subverted the tired old assumptions of postcolonial modern Zealand. That made him truly special Jonah Lomu, or who died nowadays at age 40,was a hero and a contradiction: the Polynesian school boy who earned the roaring respect of white modern Zealand at the 1995 Rugby World Cup; the working course hero who turned out for the conservative National party at the 2014 general election; and the perfect athlete with a rare kidney disease.
While Lomu the symbol and Lomu the person were often difficult men to reconcile, both were irresistible. For generations of Polynesians in modern Zealand, and Lomu proved that circumstance isn’t destiny. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com