‘It was tough to be Jonah Lomu’: new film sheds light on late All Blacks hero

New Zealand great made his name at 1995 Rugby World Cup but rapid rise to fame took a toll as his health worsened

Making a film about Jonah Lomu’s life was never going to thrill everyone. The big man’s widow, Nadene, took legal action in an unsuccessful attempt to block the project and declined to be involved. You can’t imagine Mike Catt being overly delighted either. Even 31 years later, the brutal footage of Lomu running straight over the top of England’s full-back in the 1995 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town almost merits an 18 certificate on its own.

Happily, the makers of Lomu went ahead regardless and have managed to shine a fresh light on the biggest rugby phenomenon in history. There was always way more to Jonah’s story than a huge pair of thighs and here it is, laid out in a manner that is thought-provoking, affecting and wincingly nostalgic. As the former All Blacks doctor John Mayhew puts it: “I’m disappointed he didn’t have the life he deserved to have. I wonder, even [with] the magnificent gifts he had, whether he was ever truly happy.”