Lomu, Jonah (1975- )

New Zealand rugby union wing three-quarter of Tongan descent. He made an enormous impact in the 1995 rugby World Cup in South Africa when he scored seven tries including four in the semi-final against England. At 1.96 m/6ft 5 in tall and weighing 118 kg/18.5 stone, but with great acceleration, he was stopped only by South African players in the final. In 1998 he helped New Zealand to the win in the inaugural Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was the leading try scorer at the 1999 World Cup tournament with eight tries, which set a record of 15 World Cup tries.

Career highlights

International appearances (1994-2002)

Tries

Total points

In January 1997 he was diagnosed with a career-threatening kidney condition, but later in the year he made a successful comeback.

In New Zealand he has played for Counties-Manukau in provincial rugby. In Super 12 rugby he moved from the Auckland Blues to the Wellington Hurricanes, and in May 2000 he helped the team win the Super 12 title.