WELLINGTON: All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu, whose power and pace revolutionized rugby and whose humility and grace won millions of fans, died early Wednesday, New Zealand Rugby said. He was 40.
New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew said the union was “shocked and deeply saddened” to learn of Lomu’s unexpected death.
“Jonah was a legend of our game and loved by his many fans both here and around the world,” he said. “We’re lost for words. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Jonah’s family.”
Lomu had dealt with the severe kidney ailment nephrotic syndrome since 1995, which forced his premature retirement from international rugby in 2002. He played 63 tests for the All Blacks, scoring 43 tries and was the prototype of a new type of backline player who combined pace and size.
Lomu underwent a kidney transplant in 2004 and tried unsuccessfully to resume his professional career in Wales and France after that operation and despite doctors’ misgivings.
While his health seemed to improve he couldn’t regain his former dominance and eventually retired from all rugby in 2006. He remained an active ambassador for the sport, however, and remained a huge fan favorite, feted around the world.
He most recently attended the Rugby World Cup in Britain in September and October, where he seemed fit and in good health and where New Zealand retained the title.
But he has battled bouts of serious ill health in recent years. In 2011 his body rejected his donor kidney and as hopeful of undergoing a second transplant operation.
Lomu was his devastating best at the 1995 and 1999 World Cups, scoring 15 tries in 11 games but never winning the trophy.
The stabbing death of a friend as a teenager steered Lomu away from street gangs in the blue-collar suburbs of Auckland where he grew up. Rugby gave him new direction. Aged just 19 for his test debut, Lomu was a colossus for a winger: 1.96 meters tall (6-foot-4); 119 kilograms (262 pounds).
Prime Minister John Key said he was deeply saddened by news of Lomu’s passing.
“The thoughts of the entire country are with his family,” Key said.
New Zealand All Blacks great Jonah Lomu dies aged 40
New Zealand All Blacks great Jonah Lomu dies aged 40
Australia’s Green becomes IPL’s most expensive overseas player
- Kolkata Knight Riders sign Cameron Green for $2.77 million at player auction for 2026 season
- Aussie cricketer is set to play in the third Ashes test against England starting on Wednesday
Australia all-rounder Cameron Green became the most expensive overseas player in the Indian Premier League (IPL), after Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for 252 million Indian rupees ($2.77 million) at the player auction for the 2026 season in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Green, who was initially registered as a batsman due to an error, was the subject of intense bidding between Kolkata and Chennai Super Kings before being purchased by the three-times champions.
The 26-year-old is the third most expensive player in IPL history, after India’s Rishabh Pant (270 million Indian rupees) and Shreyas Iyer (267.5 million). “We are very happy. This is something that we were really focused on... I think he adds a lot to our team,” Kolkata CEO Venky Mysore said.
Australian Mitchell Starc, the previous most expensive foreign player in the competition, attracted a bid of 247.5 million Indian rupees in 2024 from Kolkata, who have made three of the five most expensive buys in IPL history.
Green, who missed the IPL this year as he was recovering from back surgery, is set to play in the third Ashes test against England starting on Wednesday.
Kolkata also spent big on Sri Lankan seamer Matheesha Pathirana and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman.
Five-time champions Chennai splurged 142 million Indian rupees each on wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma, who has hit 16 sixes in this season’s Ranji Trophy, and all-rounder Prashant Veer, making them the most expensive uncapped signings in IPL history.
Delhi Capitals bought England batter Ben Duckett and South Africa’s David Miller for 20 million Indian rupees each.
The 19th edition of the IPL begins on March 26, after India co-hosts the Twenty20 World Cup starting in February.
