It is exactly 25 years since Lomu flattened Mike Catt to score at the
World Cup where the All Black transformed into a superstar
When Jonah Lomu arrived in
South Africa 25 years ago for the World Cup, he was such a peripheral figure in the
New Zealand squad that interview requests with him were rare and invariably granted. The then rugby correspondent of the
Irish Times, Edmund van Esbeck, had an audience with the 19-year old wing who had the build of a second row before the opening weekend group match between
Ireland and the All Blacks in Johannesburg, curious whether Lomu who earlier that year was named the player of the Hong Kong Sevens had more than a bit-part role to play.
Four weeks later, the day after the World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, which was won by a Joel Stransky drop goal in extra-time, Lomu was lounging in a large hotel chair that was not quite generous enough to hide his ample frame from the hordes of fans who came looking for one autograph above every other in that pre-selfie, less security conscious time. He was, in the words of Raymond Chandler, as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel cake. His manager, the outgoing Phil Kingsley Jones, was holding court, regularly disappearing behind the reception desk to field telephone calls, many from suitors anxious to add Lomu to their portfolio. “That was the
Washington Redskins,” he said almost deadpan after returning from one. “It seems everybody wants Jonah.”