Jonah Lomu

Dec 27, 2006

He's the most intimidating player for rugby's most intimidating team. He is Jonah Lomu of the mighty New Zealand All Blacks. He's 6'5, 250 pounds and can run the 100 meter dash in 10.8 seconds. Combine that with his amazing ball skills and his mind-boggling ability to break tackles and you have the world's greatest rugby player - hands down.

Jonah Lomu's Beginning

Jonah was born in Auckland, New Zealand on May 12, 1975. He began playing rugby during school and quickly became known for his speed and strength. When he moved on to high school he played forward and was his team's top scorer. At 19, he became the youngest player to ever put on an All-Blacks uniform when he suited up for New Zealand in a game against France.

Jonah Lomu Makes A Name For Himself

Jonah's career took off from there. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, Jonah was named player of the tournament as he led the All Blacks to the World Cup. In the semi-finals, Jonah was a one man wrecking crew - scoring four tries against England. Jonah had made a name for himself as the world's best rugby player.

Jonah Lomu Takes a Break

His success at the Worlds also made Jonah a very rich guy. He was offered serious money to play rugby in England and was even asked to play football in the NFL. Jonah turned those offers down to keep playing the sport in New Zealand. But the big giant's career took a turn for the worse in 1996. Doctors told him he had a rare and serious kidney disorder. Jonah had to take nearly a full year off from the game. He wasn't able to play rugby because of the drugs he was taking to fight the illness.

Jonah Lomu's Raucous Return

By 1998, Jonah was back with the All Blacks and wrecking havoc on the opposition. His team was defeated in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup but Jonah still showed the world he was the best player around. He's now focusing his efforts on preparing for the 2003 World Cup of Rugby which will be held in New Zealand and Australia.

Jonah Lomu's Jammin'

Jonah has New Zealand's loudest car stereo. His Nissan Patrol pumps out his favorite tunes like Janet Jackson and Naughty By Nature at nearly 160 decibels. That's louder than a jet engine! Jonah hopes to one day break the world record for a car stereo which is 176 decibels. Did you know that if you sat it Jonah's car with the stereo on full-blast, it would kill you. No kidding!