Jonah Lomu first received international recognition when he took the Hong Kong Sevens tournament completely by surprise in 1994. Full player factfile below - read on.
Rugby fans had never seen such an unbelievable combination of speed, power, ball skills and amazing tackle-breaking.
Full Name Jonah Tali Lomu
Birthdate 12 May 1975
Born Auckland, NZ
Height 1.96m (6ft 5")
Weight 125kg (19 st)
Chest 116cm (46")
Hips 125cm (49")
Boot Size 13 (NZ Sizing)
School Attended Wesley College Auckland, NZ
Fastest 100m 10.8 seconds
At the age of 19 years 45 days, Jonah Lomu became the youngest All Black test player as he made his debut against France in 1994.
If 1994, was a big year for Jonah, 1995 was phenomenal. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, Jonah Lomu stormed onto the world stage - named Player of the Tournament and scoring some of the best running tries ever seen in the game of rugby. His individual 4-try demolition of the English team in the semifinal was a defining moment. Jonah had definitely arrived.
1996 saw Jonah held back by niggling leg and shoulder injuries. He did score in the inaugural Super 12 final for the Auckland Blues against Natal, and had a sensational day against Australia in the All Blacks 35 point win on Athletic Park.
However, it was the end of 1996 that saw Jonah diagnosed as having Nephrotic Syndrome, a rare and serious kidney disorder. His rugby career went on hold whilst Jonah tackled the problem head on Jonah forced his way back into his beloved number 11 All Black jersey for 2 tests against England & Wales on tour in late 1997 and another career highlight was achieved in 1998 when he won a Gold Medal in the rugby sevens at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
From the statistics below you can see that despite a career of tremendous highs and challenging lows, he has scored everywhere he has played.
Statistics
Counties Manukau games 28 Tries 19 Points 95
North Island Games 1 Tries 2 Points 10
Presidents XV Games 1 Tries 2 Points 10
NZ Harlequins Games 1 Tries 3 Points 15
NZ Colts Games 3 Tries 5 Points 25
Auckland Blues (1996-98) Games 22 Tries 13 Points 65
Chiefs Games 8 Tries 2 Points 10
Hurricanes Games 25 Tries 11 Points 55
Wainuiomata Games 3 Tries 2 Points 10
NZ Sevens Games 7 Tries 20 Points 100
New Zealand (1994-2002) Games 57 Tries 39 Points 195
NZ Tests (1994-2000) Games 43 Tries 29 Points 145
New Zealand "A" Games 3 Tries 3 Points 15
NZ Trials 1994-96 Games 4 Tries 5 Points 25
NZ Barbarians Games 2 Tries 0 Points 0
Barbarians Games 2 Tries 5 Points 25
World Barbarians Games 1 Tries 0 Points 0
TOTAL (1994-2005) Games 212 Tries 160 Points 800
Info from www.jonahlomu.com