Fun story! When we were kids, my brother and I used to combine our pocket money and rent PlayStations from the local video store on the weekend. Just so happened Jonah was there wanting to rent one, too! (I don't know why he didn't just buy one! I think this was before the big money started coming in!). Unfortunately, there were none left. We told him he could have ours. He was stoked! Told us to hang around and he came back with a Rugby ball and All Blacks jersey signed by himself, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga! Still got them today!
@@grandadneal8114 probably! Jonah was really in to his car stereo systems and there used to be an event in Masterton, (the town in New Zealand where I lived as a kid), called "the Sound Off". It was basically just a competition to see who had the loudest car stereo. Jonah was in Masterton for the weekend for it. This was before he blew up at the 95 Rugby World Cup.
As a Springbok fan I believe Lomu is the greatest player to have played the game. We can count ourselves lucky to have witnessed the years he gave us. Rest in peace big man.
@@alexblack6634 and also fact that he posed a massive threat, to the extent that I’ve never seen a Springbok side be so concerned about a single as they were about Lomu. Testament to the player he was.
@@tavucequetecrit He was not drugged!! He was only 19 suffering from a rare kidney disorder and he was always in pain.After games he spent most of time on a machine.
Awesome guy. So much respect. When Joost vd Westhuizen was wheelchair bound and dying Jonah (himself dying of kidney failure) flew to SA to visit Joost. An incredibly emotional meeting. He wasn’t just an incredible player but also an incredible person. Brings tears to my eyes when I see the video of these 1995 RWC adversaries showing such respect. It is what makes Rugby special. 🙏
I remember in the 95 WC final SA vs NZ, Joost VD Westhuizen made a crucial 1 on 1 tackle on Lomu and actually took him down. Nobody up until that point in that WC had a clue on how they would stop Lomu. I think the immense admiration and respect they had for each other was born after that match.
The humility Lomu showed Joost in that interview was unbelievable, Lomu told Joost about his tackle "mate, you just won the world cup".Joost by this time was badly affected by his illness but Lomu made sure Joost knew how important he was to him and South Africa. God bless Lomu, Joost, and the rest of us mere mortals
@PuhiPureBloOdYT a giant of a winger that played for the Flying Fijians, was a potential for the Wallabies but was not chosen because he was tall for a wing. NN didn't play for a WC 🏆 winning side, against a sensitive high profile apartheid torn rainbow 🌈 nation. Nemani Nadolo will live to see his wife grow into old age along with him. From Viti 🇫🇯 loloma levu
Will there ever be a more destructive ball runner in rugby union? He had everything. Lightning fast acceleration combined with immense strength, a sidestep, a fend from hell, and incredible balance that allowed him to stay on his feet even while tacklers were wrapped around his legs. All of that while carrying 118 kgs. That's an insane amount of momentum. Hardest man to tackle in rugby history, and it's not even close.
The difference between normal 120kg 6ft5 rugby players and Jonah lomu is that lomu had the agility ,step, balance and pace of a guy far smaller, yet had the power the strength of the beast that he was. Absolutely insane and devastating combination
@@kingk1w109 we will likely never see a player with a combination of those skills again...at least for another 30 years and think about how much rugby has changed since 1995. People forget it only recently professionalized I believe around that time. With all the training and professionalization of the last decades...imagine Lomu with access to all of that. My goodness
Imagine trying to tackle him - 6'4", 120kg, and does 100m in 11 seconds. He's like a fast agile heavy tank or, as one journalist called him, "a freight train in ballet shoes".
Piètre défenseur et opportuniste il exploitait grace à ses qualités physiques les ballons fournis par d'autres . Les AB dominaient le rugby mondial grace à de nombreux joueurs hors normes dans cette équipe . Ce n'est plus le cas aujourd'hui et c'est temps mieux !
I knew nothing of rugby and then moved to Shanghai and met some UK and Aussie expats and watched the 99 World Cup, and saw this guy for the first time. He was a joy to watch, and you could tell no one wanted to tackle him. Legend.
man you were lucky. i was seven when Lomu clobbered everyone in 1995...but unfortunately i grew up in the U.S. and my family couldn't even afford basic cable, let alone whatever freakish lengths you had to go to back then to watch the Rugby World Cup in the States. now with streaming and the internet, it's so much easier to catch games even as an American. That being said, we still haven't seen a talent like Lomu. I don't think we ever will
I had the pleasure of meeting him as a kid. He was so soft-spoken and humble. When I said goodbye to him all he said was "Be strong!". Absolute legend.
You've seen every rugby match in the past 100 years then, you must have to make such a comment. Why not be satisfied by saying he's the best you've ever seen?
@@stevemarks9360 I'm way over 50yrs old, played semi professionally and watched every match I possibly could. But I don't have to justify my view to you or anybody else. You're entitled to your own views, I won't criticise yours.
@@stevemarks9360 100 years back maybe there would be monsters too. Just can't see this man not making an impact even 100 years back. He blew out too soon, but he was blowing he was blowing hot
This guy was a tank with supercar performance. I remember watching him in a NZ vs England match back in his day and he shrugged off tackles from England's best like they were just rag dolls. A truly awesome player and such a tragedy he left us so young.
Thanks for sharing this, mad respect for this big fella, changed the shape of Rugby Union forever. Died the same day as my beloved Grandmother too. You could argue there were/are more technical players but man, I can think of noone who had such an impact. An awesome gentle giant off the field too, youngsters today, take a leaf. For those of us lucky enough to have seen him in the flesh...take a knee.
For all the power and the fame he remained a very Gentle man to the end. Greatest of Respect for one of the very Best. RIP Jonah from a Springbok supporter.
An absolute machine. Best of the best , on and off the field 👌 Giant on the field, and Gentlemen off the field. Lots of love and respect from South Africa 🇿🇦
If we were behind in the points I’d always yell “just pass it to lomu “. His mere participation meant that a lot of teams would often double up defenders leaving an overlap on the other wing. A true force
The 1st RUGBY Megastar...Had Playstation game named after him (Lomu 95)...Mc Donald's burger also, "LOMU BURGER"...Sponsored by NIKE......The Legend sold out Stadiums wherever he played. Not bad for a Tongan kid from South Auckland who wore the Infamous Black Jersey with PRIDE n MANA 💖🇳🇿💖....R.i.p Doxx, ALWAYS will be the All Black's greatest #11 everrrrrrrr 👍👍👍👍
@@justinafrika7860 no ones surprised to hear it because there’s always a SA fan on every Lomu video bringing up that same fact. You never hear the Welsh banging on that he never scored against them either do you? Just Springbok fans eh.
@@JMT873 As a Saffer myself, it is embarrassing to keep hearing that fact. Fact is he played in and won more games against us - he sucked in the opposition with his brilliance to allow his teammates to score. Absolute legend.
What a machine. What a legend. One of the best. I remember when i was in primary school during world cup 95. He was ALL the talk amongst the teams and how could they stop him etc.. It was finally Joost and James Small that took him to task in the final. Such memories, RIP big man. Love from SA
Just in awe of his powers. One of the greatest athletes of all time standing at 6ft 5inch tall, 120kg and a guy who ran 100m in 10 seconds - truly something special. Without doubt he is right up there with Bo Jackson, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali as arguably the best athlete ever.
@@marioiglesias4850 He is an athlete, by the definition of the word. If you have a problem with that, get the definition changed. As it stands, you just come across as willfully ignorant.
JL changed the modern game. Large/powerful wingers are commonplace nowadays, but back then, he was a freak and nobody could get near him, or didn't want to. Nobody had seen anything like him on that position before. Such a great player - so much more than just power and pace. He had guile, an incredible step, intelligence and natural ability. RIP legend x
What an unbelievable player he was. Always remember the try against England were he basically runs through the guy at the end, just before he puts it down. Fantastic video my friend.
It has been said a million times but it's always worth a mention. The fact that Jonah could steamroll you or burn you on the outside is still unbelievable. Also, credit where credit is due, I know Mike Catt didn't make the tackle and became remembered as Jonah's doormat, but to even attempt that tackle was amazing. He had time to contemplate what was coming his way and still went in head first. I definitely would have 'blown' a hammy a few moments before.
I'm pretty sure that the question uppermost in poor ole Mike's brain in that moment was: "How the fuck do I stop a six-foot-five, 18-stone juggernaut?" MsG
A giant of a man in EVERY way! I was privileged to live through that era, and watched him, and that incredibly talented All Blacks team create magic on the rugby pitch. Rest in peace Jonah.
Amazing specimen and person. He played for my local side Ebbw Vale in a charity match many years ago, father and uncle got a photo with him, he was massive and was the truly first modern day professional rugby player that set the standard, size and athletism you see in today's game. Legend
The Pelé of the rugby world. Probably the best rugby player of all time. It didn't matter if you where supporting the opposing team, he was just magnificent to watch. Sadly departed from this world too early but what a legacy 😊
His height, weight, and speed made him truly awesome. From what I've read and heard, Jonah was not just one of the best players around. He was one of the best blokes. People say nothing but good things about the big man. It was a tragedy to lose him so young.
Un mélange explosif à base de Messi, Tyson, Bolt et d'un bi réacteur !! Comment est-il possible de déplacer une telle carcasse musculeuse à une vitesse pareille et dans un contexte aussi férocement hostile ?? Le mec c'est une torpille dans le corps d'un porte-avion ! Ses adversaires semblent impuissants tant il s'en débarrasse tels des fétus de paille qu'il bazarde en l'air à la dérobade comme s'il s'agissait d'un jeu de quilles !! Infernal et surréaliste à la fois ! Quel athlète hors pair !
How many adjectives to describe this man, beautiful, sublime, awesome, blessed and destructive! Jonah really was a true one of a kind, thank God we were blessed with his presence, albeit for too short a time.
He was so good that it just wasn't fair on his opponents. It still gives me goosebumps watching him at his best. There hasn't been a sport invented that his speed and power could've been properly challenged. Rip you absolute legend!!!
Except when playing against SA, he never not even once ever ever scored a try against SA in thirteen tests. We still love him and his skills and he chose to marry a SAn.
@@justinafrika7860 but he still demolished the boks forwards and Backs like they were nothting, although he didn't score he create shitloads of easy soft ass tries for his teammates resulting in many wins by the ABs against SA.
@@tokoforlyfe2384 I’m still 100% correct and 100% accurate. In 13 tests against SA and 1 040 minutes playing time against SA Lomu scored ZERO tries against SA. Not once, not ever. Elementary fact. Am I wrong?
@@justinafrika7860 nobody refute that he did not score, that's an absolute fact. But also to correct your statement. It wasn't just the springboks who prevent him scoring. Wales also did as well as japan, canada and Samoa. But here are also another elementary facts. Lomu demolised and dominated the springboks during his short career (95-2001). He constantly trampled over multiple boks defenders before being put down creating shitloads of easy soft ass tries for cullen and wilson because it takes almost half the boks backline to put him down. He won more match against the boks doing so. The boks massive forwards with the like of bob skinstad, AJ venter, corne krige, Os durant and many others who were stupid enough to met Lomu head on were unfortunately trampled over and almost had them retire early. So, it is a fact the Lomu did not scored against the springboks, but like any other team, the springboks were no different from any other teams in the sense that Lomu made them all look like armateur kids. Facts.
@@justinafrika7860 you edit your comment and then ask me to show you where in your comment you said that only the springboks prevented Lomu from scoring? Your soo funny AF. 😆
I don't follow Rugby Union, but boy, that Jonah Lomu, what a freak (in a great way). Can't help but admire and get excited when you see footage of his game play. Absolute sporting legend! RIP big fella.
In that period there were two men above all in sports: Ronaldo and Jonah Lomu. Fast like sport cars, no one was able to stop them. Their sports are so different but watching each acceleration is a big emotion even 20 years later.
It's amazing sometimes to think that during my lifetime I got to watch the era of Bryan Williams, Sid Going etc, then Wilson, Cullen and Lomu, then the Carter and MCaw era.
I'm English and an England fan but he totally thrashed us when we were one of the best teams in the world on his own! It was very sad what happened to him he was a King and an Abassador of the sport there will never be anyone close to Jona Lomu
I was at Ellis park in 1995, and that man sent shivers down every Bok supporter every time he touched the ball. He was on another playing field. Size, power speed he had it all. Francois Pienaar and James Small (God rest his soul) had to play like Robocop and the terminator just to try and contain him. I think The Boks won because of Mandela that day! Carried a whole nations hopes on their shoulders. R.I.P Jonah Lomu, James Small, and Joost van der Westhuizen
The Boks won due to their great defense and more disciplined attitude. I just watched the 1995 final today and the Kiwis had sloppy ball handling skills. Compare that to the NZ Team of 2023 that beat Ireland in the Q-Finals and the current team has way better ball handing skills at least from watching a single game. This in turn lead to poor set moves for Lomu to take advantage of, although he was robbed of 1 try when the Ref decided there had been a forward pass (it wasn't, at least when I played it back in slow-mo 3 times) but there was no TMO to confirm for sure.
This man was unreal it will take a miracle to get a better winger these days everone is that size now OK maybe a little smaller lol but he was a freak of nature and a privilege to watch. You made your mark on rugby and you will always be remembered has the best in my eyes ❤️❤️❤️ RIP BIG MAN 😔
Australia's George Gregan learned how to tackle the great Lomu...he would launch onto Lomu's back then slide down his body to his legs...this way he avoided the battering rams that were Jonah's upper legs. Occasionally Gregan would grab Lomu's free arm and literally fall on the ground in the hope his weight would slow Lomu.... sometimes worked.
Amazing player, amazing man. The year before he died I met him on many occasions in the gym in Newmarket, Auckland, late after work like9:30 when we were the only two in there. I saw him a few times and just gave the kiwi eyebrow lift of hello when on the third week he asked me to spot him bench pressing so I did and then he said “your turn bro” and he spotted me. This went on for a couple of months and not once did I mention that he was my hero or even that I knew who he was as he was on his down time and I didn’t want to hassle the dude. Mind you I’m sure he knew as EVERYONE in NZ knew who he was! He was a gent but was gone from us all the next year. I have those fond memories though. RIP bro.
He was absolutely unbelievable ,his strength and speed destroyed everything in his path. He had so much more to give the sport and was taken to soon. Rip the Jonah ,the Goat.
The speed was ridiculous. A big man like that has no right to be super fast. No one in his weight group could catch up to him and whoever actually would just be swatted off like a fly. Legend.
By far the greatest player of all time. When Carling called him 'a freak' I was, and remain, disgusted - Jonah was a human being with immense gifts which he made the most of, giving so many people so so much pleasure. And of course part of his humanity was that he was mortal like all of us, it's such a tragedy that he's no longer here to savour, in his modest way, new generations' appreciation of his brilliance.
He was only a freak in the sense that he was a generation ahead of his contemporaries. He was the blueprint for what rugby players could be, sent back in time to change the game. Rugby was forced to reinvent itself just to keep up with him. Prime Lomu would still cause problems today in a world of players built on his foundation.
@@StuTheDon17 Hi, thanks for the reply - we'll have to agree to differ. Carling could have called him a 'phenomenon', which of course he was and is, but the pig ignorant man chose a different word with historical offensive connotations - look at 19th century 'Freak Shows' for example.
Yep, calling someone a freak in sports is saying they are extraordinary. Lomu was a freak! Nobody that big should move at that speed and have that agility, it's not normal.
What an incredible athlete, to be blessed with so much speed for a man as big and powerful as he was is astonishing I don’t think we will ever see his like again on a rugby pitch,he made people who previously didn’t watch rugby sit up in Awe watching him, sadly we was took from us to soon, RIP big fella
Nunca he sido muy fan de este deporte, pero cuando vi a Lomu la primera vez, quedé impresionado. Como un jugador tan grande y pesado puede ser a la vez tan veloz y ágil?? Me cuesta recordar algún jugador, de cualquier deporte de equipo, que fuera tan superior al resto de rivales. Parece un hombre jugando contra niños. 😮 R.I.P Jonah
Somewhere around 2001, I was working in Wellington and commuting from Auckland. I caught a later flight one day and while walking out into the airport from the plane, I suddenly felt this enormous presence beside me and it was Jonah. I looked at him, tried to be cool but couldn't help smiling like an idiot. He took off his headphones, put out his huge fist and we did the fist bump while he carried on walking to his car. Such an incredibly humble man and a moment that i'll never forget.
As a teen in the early to mid 90s; Lomu was the one we all watched during rugby training at our Grammar school; no matter what position we played (2nd row / lock for me); we all wanted to be Lomu haha 👌🏼
Sometimes one can only stand in awe of something so breathtakingly special. Had he played NFL the world would have known him better than Tom Brady, and if life had brought him to rugby league then he would've been the GOAT there too. Gosh, come to think of it, even in ten pin bowling he would've been considered the greatest ... the amount of "strikes" he did on the field would've validated that statement! I'm just grateful that I was able to witness the enormity of his talent on a rugby field. Don't rest in peace Jonah, you stirred and rumbled like a giant ... rumble forever more big guy.
The scary thing, was he was never really at 100% health. Imagine what he could have done if he was healthy? The other thing was how terrifying he was watching him live, the moment he touched the ball there was like electricity in the air, everyone would get up of their seats. And the kindest, gentlest soul off the park. We miss you big fella!
@@kjph7438 he was found to have a kidney disorder in 95, when he played in the world cup. It was hushed for quite a while, as he could never fully train. He basically played his entire career with this and was never truly 100% Eventually he needed a kidney transplant.
New Zealand played Ireland in Dublin in 2001. The New Zealand squad trained in UCD (University College Dublin) a few days before the game and i was a student there at the time. I went along stood on the sideline as a spectator as the UCD 1st squad lined up across the pitch and held tackle bags. Each New Zealand player would hit a bag then move across to the next bag and then the player at the end would wrap around all the way to the other end to start again. As i was standing on the side line the last bag was only about 5 feet from me. They were doing this for a few minutes and each player hit the bag beside me before running across to the start again. The UCD squad were doing ok against the New Zealand players holding the bags, most of the time they managed to stay on their feet. Then i looked up and Lomu had reach the last bag. He was lined up about 5 feet from me crouching and eyeing the tackle bag. The whistle went and Lomu launched at the bag sending the poor UCD bloke flying through the air. The entire sideline broke up laughing. It was comical but then you realised all of those UCD players were fully grown men playing a very high level of rugby. To Lomu though they were just toys to be tossed aside. To see it up close and personal was an absolute privilege. He was something else. RIP.
No it’s because Lomu demolished the springboks and it was just embarrassing Lomu trampling over massive guys like Bobby skinstad, AJ Venter, Cirne Krige, Van den berg and many others. They always bring up Joost and small tackle (which was only once in their lifetime in 95) to proudly claim they stop Lomu 🤣🤣
When I was young & playing football, cricket, rugby or whatever, I always used to imagine what it would be like to be as good as I was at the time, but everyone else was a few years younger than me… in other words, just daydreaming what it would be like to be the fastest, strongest, sharpest player on the field. Essentially, I guess I was just imagining what it would be like to be someone like Jonah Lomu. He was just an otherworldly talent.
A French fullback once said in an itw some game he saw Lomuh running towards him at fullspeed he got scared and almost dodged the guy. It resulted in a try because the tackle was lacking.... Fear-factor of Lomuh was crazy.
Fun story! When we were kids, my brother and I used to combine our pocket money and rent PlayStations from the local video store on the weekend. Just so happened Jonah was there wanting to rent one, too! (I don't know why he didn't just buy one! I think this was before the big money started coming in!). Unfortunately, there were none left. We told him he could have ours. He was stoked! Told us to hang around and he came back with a Rugby ball and All Blacks jersey signed by himself, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga! Still got them today!
Wow, now that’s a treasure and a lovely story too. I’m sure if you played against him on PlayStation you’d still end up with bruises!
Sure it happened SURE
What were they all in a car going to have a big night in playing PlayStation?
@@grandadneal8114 probably! Jonah was really in to his car stereo systems and there used to be an event in Masterton, (the town in New Zealand where I lived as a kid), called "the Sound Off". It was basically just a competition to see who had the loudest car stereo. Jonah was in Masterton for the weekend for it. This was before he blew up at the 95 Rugby World Cup.
Did you give him the same quality nudes you sent my dad?
As a Springbok fan I believe Lomu is the greatest player to have played the game. We can count ourselves lucky to have witnessed the years he gave us. Rest in peace big man.
But he never scored a try against the Boks
@@alexblack6634 so?
@@kdog1981cop So, nothing. Just a fact.
@@alexblack6634 and also fact that he posed a massive threat, to the extent that I’ve never seen a Springbok side be so concerned about a single as they were about Lomu. Testament to the player he was.
@@kdog1981cop I agree.
I actually think , he was one of the best physical specimens sport has ever seen , and I mean all sports . God rest his soul .
esteroids
he was good ok but he was drugged. rip
@@tavucequetecrit He was not drugged!! He was only 19 suffering from a rare kidney disorder and he was always in pain.After games he spent most of time on a machine.
@@tavucequetecrit You must be drugged up. There is no way in hell he was on steroids the man is a freak of nature
Yes. RIP Yonah
Awesome guy. So much respect. When Joost vd Westhuizen was wheelchair bound and dying Jonah (himself dying of kidney failure) flew to SA to visit Joost. An incredibly emotional meeting. He wasn’t just an incredible player but also an incredible person. Brings tears to my eyes when I see the video of these 1995 RWC adversaries showing such respect. It is what makes Rugby special. 🙏
I remember in the 95 WC final SA vs NZ, Joost VD Westhuizen made a crucial 1 on 1 tackle on Lomu and actually took him down. Nobody up until that point in that WC had a clue on how they would stop Lomu. I think the immense admiration and respect they had for each other was born after that match.
Yeah man I remember that. Humble humble
The humility Lomu showed Joost in that interview was unbelievable, Lomu told Joost about his tackle "mate, you just won the world cup".Joost by this time was badly affected by his illness but Lomu made sure Joost knew how important he was to him and South Africa. God bless Lomu, Joost, and the rest of us mere mortals
Lomu was and still is the GOAT of Rugby!! He was from another level, another world! a true LEGEND!! So much respect for his memory from FRANCE
He was from the Rugby League world.
He deserved a World Cup medal. There will never be another like him again.
RIP Jonah
Hold my beer. Nemani Nadolo is taller, heavier and faster.
@@NasinuWarrior85Who?
@PuhiPureBloOdYT a giant of a winger that played for the Flying Fijians, was a potential for the Wallabies but was not chosen because he was tall for a wing. NN didn't play for a WC 🏆 winning side, against a sensitive high profile apartheid torn rainbow 🌈 nation.
Nemani Nadolo will live to see his wife grow into old age along with him. From Viti 🇫🇯 loloma levu
Will there ever be a more destructive ball runner in rugby union? He had everything. Lightning fast acceleration combined with immense strength, a sidestep, a fend from hell, and incredible balance that allowed him to stay on his feet even while tacklers were wrapped around his legs. All of that while carrying 118 kgs. That's an insane amount of momentum.
Hardest man to tackle in rugby history, and it's not even close.
All of that with failing kidneys too
He was repeatedly taken down against the Springboks and consistently out performed by Springbok Chester Williams.
@@charlesarmstrong5292 can't wait to see Chester's highlights 😂
Still thrills!
@@charlesarmstrong5292 Maybe but physically he is clearly better . I doubt chester is better
The difference between normal 120kg 6ft5 rugby players and Jonah lomu is that lomu had the agility ,step, balance and pace of a guy far smaller, yet had the power the strength of the beast that he was. Absolutely insane and devastating combination
A writer described him as ballet dancing rhino. So apt.
@@kingk1w109 we will likely never see a player with a combination of those skills again...at least for another 30 years
and think about how much rugby has changed since 1995. People forget it only recently professionalized I believe around that time. With all the training and professionalization of the last decades...imagine Lomu with access to all of that. My goodness
@@kingk1w109 Brilliantly apt. The Dancing Rhino vs Pussy Catt.
Imagine trying to tackle him - 6'4", 120kg, and does 100m in 11 seconds. He's like a fast agile heavy tank or, as one journalist called him, "a freight train in ballet shoes".
Piètre défenseur et opportuniste il exploitait grace à ses qualités physiques les ballons fournis par d'autres . Les AB dominaient le rugby mondial grace à de nombreux joueurs hors normes dans cette équipe . Ce n'est plus le cas aujourd'hui et c'est temps mieux !
I knew nothing of rugby and then moved to Shanghai and met some UK and Aussie expats and watched the 99 World Cup, and saw this guy for the first time. He was a joy to watch, and you could tell no one wanted to tackle him. Legend.
man you were lucky. i was seven when Lomu clobbered everyone in 1995...but unfortunately i grew up in the U.S. and my family couldn't even afford basic cable, let alone whatever freakish lengths you had to go to back then to watch the Rugby World Cup in the States.
now with streaming and the internet, it's so much easier to catch games even as an American. That being said, we still haven't seen a talent like Lomu. I don't think we ever will
Respect not just to Lomu but the opposition guys who stood alone on the last line of defense and preceded to be bulldozed.
I had the pleasure of meeting him as a kid. He was so soft-spoken and humble. When I said goodbye to him all he said was "Be strong!". Absolute legend.
There's never been anyone like him, before or since. His initial acceleration is staggering.
You've seen every rugby match in the past 100 years then, you must have to make such a comment. Why not be satisfied by saying he's the best you've ever seen?
@@stevemarks9360 I'm way over 50yrs old, played semi professionally and watched every match I possibly could. But I don't have to justify my view to you or anybody else. You're entitled to your own views, I won't criticise yours.
@@stevemarks9360 100 years back maybe there would be monsters too. Just can't see this man not making an impact even 100 years back. He blew out too soon, but he was blowing he was blowing hot
@@stevemarks9360 grow up
Il never forget when he trampled Mike Catt into the ground as if he was a school boy. Brutal.
A symphony of speed, strength and balance. Not even the Terminator could have stopped Jonah Lomu. The man was a beast. RIP
South African here and I swear even South Africans cheered when Lomu got the ball. Legend of Legends.
RIP big fella you will never be forgotten one of the best and immortalised.
This guy was a tank with supercar performance. I remember watching him in a NZ vs England match back in his day and he shrugged off tackles from England's best like they were just rag dolls. A truly awesome player and such a tragedy he left us so young.
Massive roidabuse does that
I remember that well. Fantastic performance.
Thanks for sharing this, mad respect for this big fella, changed the shape of Rugby Union forever. Died the same day as my beloved Grandmother too. You could argue there were/are more technical players but man, I can think of noone who had such an impact. An awesome gentle giant off the field too, youngsters today, take a leaf. For those of us lucky enough to have seen him in the flesh...take a knee.
For all the power and the fame he remained a very Gentle man to the end. Greatest of Respect for one of the very Best. RIP Jonah from a Springbok supporter.
Man, his ability to stay on his feet with so many defenders hanging off him was amazing!! What a legend of a player!!
3:14
aH . . . bueno . . .
Not only a fabulous player, but a gracious man. Beloved and respected by all, including opponents.
An absolute machine. Best of the best , on and off the field 👌
Giant on the field, and Gentlemen off the field.
Lots of love and respect from South Africa 🇿🇦
Did he ever try out for American football that would of been great to see
@CRYPTO LORD Pansy - sports wasnt his thing .🤣🤣🤣
@@baksteenbaksteen5230 just asking would of been great to see
@@cryptolord9826 definitely
I've always heard from my dad and others how absolutely brilliant this guy was, now I can see why. Just imagine seeing this in a live game!
If we were behind in the points I’d always yell “just pass it to lomu “. His mere participation meant that a lot of teams would often double up defenders leaving an overlap on the other wing. A true force
What an amazing career. He left us too soon 😢
Agree100%, from South Africa
There is no too soon. Your time is your time
Still here, like most famous who publicly exit
Always sucks with these supreme athletes gone too soon, but I think the body can only run at that level for so long
How did he
He was like, two fit men in one very fit body!
A tragic loss to family, friends, colleagues and fans. May the great man R.I.P.
The 1st RUGBY Megastar...Had Playstation game named after him (Lomu 95)...Mc Donald's burger also, "LOMU BURGER"...Sponsored by NIKE......The Legend sold out Stadiums wherever he played. Not bad for a Tongan kid from South Auckland who wore the Infamous Black Jersey with PRIDE n MANA 💖🇳🇿💖....R.i.p Doxx, ALWAYS will be the All Black's greatest #11 everrrrrrrr 👍👍👍👍
Rest in peace big guy. As a South African, you always had our respect...and fear
… yet he never scored against SA in 13 tests.
@@justinafrika7860 True, but there was always that respect
@@Chez114 Yes and of course he was brilliant, just citing a little fact that people are sometimes surprised to hear.
@@justinafrika7860 no ones surprised to hear it because there’s always a SA fan on every Lomu video bringing up that same fact. You never hear the Welsh banging on that he never scored against them either do you? Just Springbok fans eh.
@@JMT873 As a Saffer myself, it is embarrassing to keep hearing that fact. Fact is he played in and won more games against us - he sucked in the opposition with his brilliance to allow his teammates to score. Absolute legend.
Never really been into rugby of any sorts. AFL for me all the way but I do remember seeing this guy in action now and then. What a machine. Awesome
What a machine. What a legend. One of the best.
I remember when i was in primary school during world cup 95. He was ALL the talk amongst the teams and how could they stop him etc..
It was finally Joost and James Small that took him to task in the final.
Such memories, RIP big man. Love from SA
Just in awe of his powers. One of the greatest athletes of all time standing at 6ft 5inch tall, 120kg and a guy who ran 100m in 10 seconds - truly something special. Without doubt he is right up there with Bo Jackson, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali as arguably the best athlete ever.
Feet and kilogrammes
He was most certainly NOT running the 100 meters in 10.
u call Tiger Woods an athlete? he is a golfer ffs hahaha
@@marioiglesias4850 He is an athlete, by the definition of the word. If you have a problem with that, get the definition changed. As it stands, you just come across as willfully ignorant.
And yet none of those guys would last 20 minutes in a premier league game
To be coming into adulthood and watching this guy arrive on the world stage. Changed everything. Very emotionally attached to Jonah 🖤 Joost too.
Started watching Rugby because of him... Strength, Speed and Relentless all perfectly blended within the Man. RIP Legend.
JL changed the modern game. Large/powerful wingers are commonplace nowadays, but back then, he was a freak and nobody could get near him, or didn't want to. Nobody had seen anything like him on that position before. Such a great player - so much more than just power and pace. He had guile, an incredible step, intelligence and natural ability. RIP legend x
What an unbelievable player he was. Always remember the try against England were he basically runs through the guy at the end, just before he puts it down. Fantastic video my friend.
and he was humble he told Paul Holmes when interviewed him he did not agree to that clip being played when he mowed Will Carling down!
I'll never forget the game against England when he ran through about 4 players! Taken from us way too soon. RIP big gentle giant
It has been said a million times but it's always worth a mention. The fact that Jonah could steamroll you or burn you on the outside is still unbelievable. Also, credit where credit is due, I know Mike Catt didn't make the tackle and became remembered as Jonah's doormat, but to even attempt that tackle was amazing. He had time to contemplate what was coming his way and still went in head first. I definitely would have 'blown' a hammy a few moments before.
I'm pretty sure that the question uppermost in poor ole Mike's brain in that moment was: "How the fuck do I stop a six-foot-five, 18-stone juggernaut?"
MsG
@@gionncaomhinmorpheagh4791...and nevertheless he had a courage at least to try. It needs guts, don't you agree?
What a pleasure to see him playing. What a legend. RIP big man. Loads love you.
A giant of a man in EVERY way! I was privileged to live through that era, and watched him, and that incredibly talented All Blacks team create magic on the rugby pitch.
Rest in peace Jonah.
Amazing specimen and person. He played for my local side Ebbw Vale in a charity match many years ago, father and uncle got a photo with him, he was massive and was the truly first modern day professional rugby player that set the standard, size and athletism you see in today's game. Legend
There was no one else on his calibre RIP Lomu 🙏🏽
The Pelé of the rugby world. Probably the best rugby player of all time. It didn't matter if you where supporting the opposing team, he was just magnificent to watch. Sadly departed from this world too early but what a legacy 😊
His height, weight, and speed made him truly awesome. From what I've read and heard, Jonah was not just one of the best players around. He was one of the best blokes. People say nothing but good things about the big man. It was a tragedy to lose him so young.
Un mélange explosif à base de Messi, Tyson, Bolt et d'un bi réacteur !!
Comment est-il possible de déplacer une telle carcasse musculeuse à une vitesse pareille et dans un contexte aussi férocement hostile ??
Le mec c'est une torpille dans le corps d'un porte-avion !
Ses adversaires semblent impuissants tant il s'en débarrasse tels des fétus de paille qu'il bazarde en l'air à la dérobade comme s'il s'agissait d'un jeu de quilles !!
Infernal et surréaliste à la fois !
Quel athlète hors pair !
your comment is so poetic and eloquent dude
How many adjectives to describe this man, beautiful, sublime, awesome, blessed and destructive! Jonah really was a true one of a kind, thank God we were blessed with his presence, albeit for too short a time.
A beautiful rugby playing phenomenon.
Honoured to have watched him in my lifetime!!!
A beast of a player. Absolutely unplayable on his day, which was most days. A true joy to watch.
3:14
aH . . . bueno . . .
The man, the myth, the legend! The one and only Jonah Lomu. What a beast of a rugby player he was.
He was so good that it just wasn't fair on his opponents. It still gives me goosebumps watching him at his best. There hasn't been a sport invented that his speed and power could've been properly challenged. Rip you absolute legend!!!
Except when playing against SA, he never not even once ever ever scored a try against SA in thirteen tests. We still love him and his skills and he chose to marry a SAn.
@@justinafrika7860 but he still demolished the boks forwards and Backs like they were nothting, although he didn't score he create shitloads of easy soft ass tries for his teammates resulting in many wins by the ABs against SA.
@@tokoforlyfe2384 I’m still 100% correct and 100% accurate. In 13 tests against SA and 1 040 minutes playing time against SA Lomu scored ZERO tries against SA. Not once, not ever. Elementary fact. Am I wrong?
@@justinafrika7860 nobody refute that he did not score, that's an absolute fact. But also to correct your statement. It wasn't just the springboks who prevent him scoring. Wales also did as well as japan, canada and Samoa. But here are also another elementary facts. Lomu demolised and dominated the springboks during his short career (95-2001). He constantly trampled over multiple boks defenders before being put down creating shitloads of easy soft ass tries for cullen and wilson because it takes almost half the boks backline to put him down. He won more match against the boks doing so. The boks massive forwards with the like of bob skinstad, AJ venter, corne krige, Os durant and many others who were stupid enough to met Lomu head on were unfortunately trampled over and almost had them retire early. So, it is a fact the Lomu did not scored against the springboks, but like any other team, the springboks were no different from any other teams in the sense that Lomu made them all look like armateur kids. Facts.
@@justinafrika7860 you edit your comment and then ask me to show you where in your comment you said that only the springboks prevented Lomu from scoring? Your soo funny AF. 😆
I don't follow Rugby Union, but boy, that Jonah Lomu, what a freak (in a great way). Can't help but admire and get excited when you see footage of his game play. Absolute sporting legend! RIP big fella.
im not even a rugby fan but i loved that bloke...he really was something else. Rest in peace warrior. x
In that period there were two men above all in sports: Ronaldo and Jonah Lomu.
Fast like sport cars, no one was able to stop them.
Their sports are so different but watching each acceleration is a big emotion even 20 years later.
What a player he was. He had everything. He was simply unstoppable. GOAT.
RIP
A once in a lifetime experience. The Hayleys comet of rugby....a once in a lifetime experience. How good to live during his era 💯
It's amazing sometimes to think that during my lifetime I got to watch the era of Bryan Williams, Sid Going etc, then Wilson, Cullen and Lomu, then the Carter and MCaw era.
Same here from a welshman
All Blacks are like sharks teeth; one generation wears out- next one comes thru . next the Barretts Cane Savea era?
I'm English and an England fan but he totally thrashed us when we were one of the best teams in the world on his own! It was very sad what happened to him he was a King and an Abassador of the sport there will never be anyone close to Jona Lomu
There’s only one word that describes the majesty of Lomu in full flight….magnificent!
I was at Ellis park in 1995, and that man sent shivers down every Bok supporter every time he touched the ball. He was on another playing field. Size, power speed he had it all. Francois Pienaar and James Small (God rest his soul) had to play like Robocop and the terminator just to try and contain him. I think The Boks won because of Mandela that day! Carried a whole nations hopes on their shoulders. R.I.P Jonah Lomu, James Small, and Joost van der Westhuizen
Small played a hell of a game that day.
The Boks won due to their great defense and more disciplined attitude. I just watched the 1995 final today and the Kiwis had sloppy ball handling skills. Compare that to the NZ Team of 2023 that beat Ireland in the Q-Finals and the current team has way better ball handing skills at least from watching a single game. This in turn lead to poor set moves for Lomu to take advantage of, although he was robbed of 1 try when the Ref decided there had been a forward pass (it wasn't, at least when I played it back in slow-mo 3 times) but there was no TMO to confirm for sure.
Thanks for the memories, toko.
This man was unreal it will take a miracle to get a better winger these days everone is that size now OK maybe a little smaller lol but he was a freak of nature and a privilege to watch. You made your mark on rugby and you will always be remembered has the best in my eyes ❤️❤️❤️ RIP BIG MAN 😔
Balance, speed, power ❤❤❤ , there will never be another Jonah, my all time favourite player
I used to love the set plays where Jonah cut back in and just hurled himself back into traffic.
An absolute specimen and freak of nature ! Rest in Power Jonah
Australia's George Gregan learned how to tackle the great Lomu...he would launch onto Lomu's back then slide down his body to his legs...this way he avoided the battering rams that were Jonah's upper legs. Occasionally Gregan would grab Lomu's free arm and literally fall on the ground in the hope his weight would slow Lomu.... sometimes worked.
Never gets old watching this, unreal! RIP big man ❤
It’s incredible that he never scored against South Africa. They Springboks had his number.
No they didnt. Lomu destroyed the Boks
the man was an Unstoppable force!
Check out my second channel vid on Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell - ruclips.net/video/ULS4BIueyvI/видео.html
Amazing player, amazing man. The year before he died I met him on many occasions in the gym in Newmarket, Auckland, late after work like9:30 when we were the only two in there. I saw him a few times and just gave the kiwi eyebrow lift of hello when on the third week he asked me to spot him bench pressing so I did and then he said “your turn bro” and he spotted me. This went on for a couple of months and not once did I mention that he was my hero or even that I knew who he was as he was on his down time and I didn’t want to hassle the dude. Mind you I’m sure he knew as EVERYONE in NZ knew who he was! He was a gent but was gone from us all the next year. I have those fond memories though. RIP bro.
Amazing memory 👍
Must have been exhausting taking off the 300lbs everytime it was your go?
He was absolutely unbelievable ,his strength and speed destroyed everything in his path. He had so much more to give the sport and was taken to soon. Rip the Jonah ,the Goat.
Truely. "The finest player of all time. A." Legend. 💪💪💪✌️
Beware: thread is full of short&limp saffa's.
RIP: Jonah, true champ.
What an amazing player & person - his legend will live on forever!
An absolutely brilliant giant of a man , fast strong, skilful and also a very lovely person … the best quite simply 👍 god bless him
Gentleman. Legend.
Rest in Peace, Jonah.
The speed was ridiculous. A big man like that has no right to be super fast. No one in his weight group could catch up to him and whoever actually would just be swatted off like a fly. Legend.
By far the greatest player of all time.
When Carling called him 'a freak' I was, and remain, disgusted - Jonah was a human being with immense gifts which he made the most of, giving so many people so so much pleasure.
And of course part of his humanity was that he was mortal like all of us, it's such a tragedy that he's no longer here to savour, in his modest way, new generations' appreciation of his brilliance.
He was only a freak in the sense that he was a generation ahead of his contemporaries. He was the blueprint for what rugby players could be, sent back in time to change the game. Rugby was forced to reinvent itself just to keep up with him. Prime Lomu would still cause problems today in a world of players built on his foundation.
Calling someone a freak is a compliment in sports. No need to feel disgusted as it is a massive compliment to call someone that
@@StuTheDon17 Hi, thanks for the reply - we'll have to agree to differ.
Carling could have called him a 'phenomenon', which of course he was and is, but the pig ignorant man chose a different word with historical offensive connotations - look at 19th century 'Freak Shows' for example.
Yep, calling someone a freak in sports is saying they are extraordinary.
Lomu was a freak! Nobody that big should move at that speed and have that agility, it's not normal.
@@turbo8628 Hi, as I mentioned above, I reckon the awful Carling should have chosen a more respectful word like 'phenomenon'.
What an incredible athlete, to be blessed with so much speed for a man as big and powerful as he was is astonishing
I don’t think we will ever see his like again on a rugby pitch,he made people who previously didn’t watch rugby sit up in Awe watching him, sadly we was took from us to soon, RIP big fella
The great man. Wish he played for us. One of the all time greats. Legend
as an English, we all wanted him on our side mate lol.
hes one of those rare talents we still enjoy, even when he's beating our lads.
As close to Superman as you could get, and a Super Human Being ! RIP Jonah !
Nunca he sido muy fan de este deporte, pero cuando vi a Lomu la primera vez, quedé impresionado. Como un jugador tan grande y pesado puede ser a la vez tan veloz y ágil?? Me cuesta recordar algún jugador, de cualquier deporte de equipo, que fuera tan superior al resto de rivales. Parece un hombre jugando contra niños. 😮 R.I.P Jonah
Somewhere around 2001, I was working in Wellington and commuting from Auckland. I caught a later flight one day and while walking out into the airport from the plane, I suddenly felt this enormous presence beside me and it was Jonah. I looked at him, tried to be cool but couldn't help smiling like an idiot. He took off his headphones, put out his huge fist and we did the fist bump while he carried on walking to his car. Such an incredibly humble man and a moment that i'll never forget.
Lomu...unstoppable! RIP legend
Easy tiger. He never scored a try against the springboks
@@ernstnaude3487but he still demolished the springboks like they were nothing
Loved to watch him play. As a South African, I must admit that I was proud at how our Sprinboks managed to effectively counter him.
In the best of all time he will always be on the team sheet.
As a teen in the early to mid 90s; Lomu was the one we all watched during rugby training at our Grammar school; no matter what position we played (2nd row / lock for me); we all wanted to be Lomu haha 👌🏼
Sometimes one can only stand in awe of something so breathtakingly special. Had he played NFL the world would have known him better than Tom Brady, and if life had brought him to rugby league then he would've been the GOAT there too. Gosh, come to think of it, even in ten pin bowling he would've been considered the greatest ... the amount of "strikes" he did on the field would've validated that statement! I'm just grateful that I was able to witness the enormity of his talent on a rugby field. Don't rest in peace Jonah, you stirred and rumbled like a giant ... rumble forever more big guy.
I don’t deny he would’ve been a great league player but league players can actually tackle.
The world is vaster than you might think : I know Jonah Lomu quite well but have no idea who Brady is ... apart of US, no one watches NFL !
The scary thing, was he was never really at 100% health. Imagine what he could have done if he was healthy?
The other thing was how terrifying he was watching him live, the moment he touched the ball there was like electricity in the air, everyone would get up of their seats.
And the kindest, gentlest soul off the park. We miss you big fella!
What was wrong with his health?
@@kjph7438 he was found to have a kidney disorder in 95, when he played in the world cup. It was hushed for quite a while, as he could never fully train. He basically played his entire career with this and was never truly 100%
Eventually he needed a kidney transplant.
@@kjph7438 kidneys
@@suziederkins3310 The bucket loads of Creatine he took also mustn’t have helped.
Truly, one the all time greats. He was a joy to watch and an outstanding and worthy foe.
New Zealand played Ireland in Dublin in 2001. The New Zealand squad trained in UCD (University College Dublin) a few days before the game and i was a student there at the time. I went along stood on the sideline as a spectator as the UCD 1st squad lined up across the pitch and held tackle bags. Each New Zealand player would hit a bag then move across to the next bag and then the player at the end would wrap around all the way to the other end to start again. As i was standing on the side line the last bag was only about 5 feet from me. They were doing this for a few minutes and each player hit the bag beside me before running across to the start again. The UCD squad were doing ok against the New Zealand players holding the bags, most of the time they managed to stay on their feet. Then i looked up and Lomu had reach the last bag. He was lined up about 5 feet from me crouching and eyeing the tackle bag. The whistle went and Lomu launched at the bag sending the poor UCD bloke flying through the air. The entire sideline broke up laughing. It was comical but then you realised all of those UCD players were fully grown men playing a very high level of rugby. To Lomu though they were just toys to be tossed aside. To see it up close and personal was an absolute privilege. He was something else. RIP.
Cool story man thank you for sharing
Un très grand joueur bravo tu et au paradis des joueurs repose en paix 🙏🙏
You can see how physical he was when the defender put a good shot on him and they just bounced backwards. What a beast
Lol Saffas always quick with their “he didn’t do that to us” comments. Always insecure lol. Didn’t realise a dead man would trigger them so much.
... ever since apartheid ended, they get triggered so easily.
No it’s because Lomu demolished the springboks and it was just embarrassing Lomu trampling over massive guys like Bobby skinstad, AJ Venter, Cirne Krige, Van den berg and many others. They always bring up Joost and small tackle (which was only once in their lifetime in 95) to proudly claim they stop Lomu 🤣🤣
@@tokoforlyfe2384 and Joost became retarded after tackling him all game lol
As a South African, watching him back in the day play the Springboks was both terrifying and exhilarating! A true legend. RIP
When I was young & playing football, cricket, rugby or whatever, I always used to imagine what it would be like to be as good as I was at the time, but everyone else was a few years younger than me… in other words, just daydreaming what it would be like to be the fastest, strongest, sharpest player on the field.
Essentially, I guess I was just imagining what it would be like to be someone like Jonah Lomu.
He was just an otherworldly talent.
The one and only..... didn't matter which country you were cheering for, you were a fan of this guy. God rest his soul.
RIP Warrior....with respect and love from South Africa...BEAST!
Jonah Lomu was an amazing athlete. R.I.P.
His legacy will live on as one of, if not, the greatest ever!!
A French fullback once said in an itw some game he saw Lomuh running towards him at fullspeed he got scared and almost dodged the guy. It resulted in a try because the tackle was lacking.... Fear-factor of Lomuh was crazy.
I missed those days.I consider myself lucky to grow up watching this legend score those tries
Il y’a longtemps que je n’avais pas regardé d’image de lui,qu’elle rapidité,qu’elle force !!! Il était impressionnant.Le plus grand joueur selon moi.