An Audience with Jonah Lomu

Rugby great Jonah Lomu – who had sixty-three caps as an All Black and is the Rugby World Cup all-time top try scorer – was in Lomond, Ireland in November to meet with fans at a speaking event.

Opposition players, since 1884 have marvelled at the aura surrounding the New Zealand All Blacks. The heritage behind the great “jumper” is not lost on players, even in today’s professional environment.

“Being an All Black is an honour and a privilege to play for the team,” Lomu, 38, told the Limerick Post. “The All Black jersey is never yours. You are only keeping it for someone else for a certain period of time.

“The way I see the All Blacks is as a unit. I never see one player over another. There have only been 1130 All Blacks since 1884, (Lomu being 941 in that list) which is not a lot taking into consideration the years of All Black history.”

Lomu is from Auckland. He was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 2011.