Jonah Lomu: How He Changed the Game of Rugby Union Forever

By Danny Coyle
at Internationaled.org

Published: November 19, 2015

There are very few sportsmen who can justifiably be said to have changed the way their game was played forever.

Ed Moses’ 13-stride pattern between each barrier of the 400m hurdles was unheard of before the American adopted it to dominate his event for a decade, per the Guardian.

Michael Jordan’s God-given abilities forced rule changes in basketball, and generations that followed modelled themselves on the Chicago Bulls’ No. 23, per the Sports Archive Blog.

Dick Fosbury’s backwards flop over the high-jump bar in 1968 transformed that discipline for good, per the Guardian.

And Babe Ruth’s awesome power with a baseball bat led to changes in pitching rules, and his aura caused a hike in player wages, per ESPN.

Each man left an indelible mark on the pursuit at which he excelled, and each man's sport was never the same after him.

Jonah Lomu, who died on Wednesday at the young age of 40, as reported by the BBC, belongs rightfully in their company.

Until he burst onto the scene in 1995, no one had ever seen or imagined a wing who married his size with his speed.

After trampling England with those four tries in the World Cup semi-final of that year, Lomu became an overnight sensation, and massive men who had hitherto only ever been regarded as candidates for the back row were suddenly seen as potential wings, capable of wreaking havoc on their opponents.

Lomu’s former All Blacks team-mate Justin Marshall said, per BBC.co.uk: "He was a freak of nature at the time. He was 110kg but could run like the wind. Having that on the end of your chain rather than in the forward pack was a revolution of the game"

The fact he was the first of his size to pull on the No. 11 jersey is his true legacy to the sport, as Joe Ritchie of the New York Times wrote:

Lomu’s impact on the mod...

Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union

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