Rugby’s Adonis

“Ladies and gentlemen – introducing the new Jonah Lomu,” announces Alison Kervin in an article for The Sunday Times. “The awesome New Zealand wing who tore the England defence to pieces on a memorable afternoon in Cape Town 14 years ago is not in the early stages of gender reassignment but has become a competitive body-builder. ‘Oh man, I enjoyed it,’ admits the 34-year-old, who came second in the Wellington Open Championships a few weeks ago. Lomu’s surprising decision to train for a new sport came after he heard about the plight of Tracy Toulis, a body builder eager to rebuild her career after an operation for breast cancer. “She needed a partner for the pairs event so I thought, ‘Hell, yeah, I can do that’. I like a challenge,” he says. He is re-launching his rugby career in November when he starts playing for the French second division side Marseilles Vitrolle. ‘Man, I feel like a little kid at the candy store waiting for it to open,’ he says.