The Big Man has passed
I awoke today to the devastating news about the death of Jonah Lomu. A truly great man not just in the field of Rugby but in sport and in life as a whole. His introduction to the game on a world stage in 1995 was a defining moment for the sport and arguably became a turning point for Rugby Union that was still struggling to transition from an amateur game to a professional, world class sport.
It was not just his sheer size and ability on the pitch, he could outrun even the fastest wingers and smash his way through any defence, it was his attitude and demeanour off it that that singled him out as ‘great’.
Rarely do you find a sportsman with such humility and grace. His aggression on the pitch was perfectly countered by his gentleness off it. And this is from a sport that has a rightly earned reputation for being played with honour by gentlemen.
Although his career was tragically cut short by a rare kidney condition he’d already made his mark, become a household name and recognised widely by people that don’t even follow the game. So decisive was his impact that he was one of those people who will always be recognised by their first name alone. He did change the game. He rattled the rusting chains that bound the sport to an outdated era and he prompted players, coaches and organising bodies to reconsider their own gameplans.
In the years since his final run in a black jersey the rest of the sport has caught up and this year’s World Cup proved to be the best ever with a handful of players being mentioned in the same breath as Jonah. But this is a different sport now. The players are professionals. They play and train 24/7 with the best facilities and support networks available and, yet, they still only get compared to The Big Man. Never better, only ever as ‘almost as good’.
Rugby the world over has suffered a great loss and New Zealand has lost a son but it is as nothing to the devastation his family must feel. No matter how many grown men weep today at the passing of a truly great player his wife and two young children will be living that grief every day.
If you have children interested in rugby then show them clips of his games and show them that you can be the best but still be humble.
