The world is remembering Jonah Lomu, the legend

One of New Zealand’s greatest ever rugby union players, Jonah Lomu, has died at the age of 40.

The winger, who scored 37 tries in 63 matches, had suffered from a rare kidney disease.

Social media users and other greats of the sport are remembering Lomu following the news of his death:

Mike Catt bulldozed in 1995:

Mike Catt, former England international and current England attacking skills coach, was bulldozed when he attempted to tackle Lomu in the 1995 World Cup, in one of Lomu’s finest tries of the tournament.

The sight became an iconic image of world rugby, just before the sport embraced professionalism. New Zealand won the match against England 45-29, and Lomu scored four tries in the process. He remains the all-time top Rugby World Cup try scorer, joint with Bryan Habana.

Catt said of Lomu’s passing:

I’m massively sad but the legacy he’s left is incredible. He’s inspired millions of people around the world to watch the sport and start playing. He changed rugby union during the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Jonah did a lot for charity, he put an awful lot back into the game and I think every rugby player would say if there’s anyone who deserved a Rugby World Cup medal it’s Jonah.

It was an amateur game when he played England in 1995 so to put rugby on the map like he did was phenomenal because the following year the game went professional.

I don’t think he understood the impact he had on the game.

Early athletic promise:

Lomu’s junior athletics records have also been tweeted, which show his performance at Wesley College’s 1989 athletics championships.

Lomu won the 100m, 100m hurdles, 200m, 400m, discus, shot put, javelin, long jump, high jump and the triple jump as a schoolboy.

Wesley College pay tribute:

Students at Lomu’s boyhood school have performed a haka in tribute of the all-black great.

After a special assembly at the school in honour of Lomu, students gave a spine-tingling rendition in honour of their alumnus.

Online tributes:

Lomu on his 1995 performance:

The New Zealand wing's performance in 1995 changed the sport, and in an August interview with The Guardian, Lomu reflected on his own legacy:

What it meant for rugby, that World Cup changed everything. When I look at it now I understand my impact more. When they show clips of me on the TV, my sons turn and look at me.

They have grown up as the sons of Jonah and it’s a daunting task trying to explain to them what I achieved.

I don’t have any regrets. Everything that I achieved in rugby I cherished. I was in a World Cup final in South Africa against South Africa when a country became one. As Francois Pienaar [the Springboks captain] said: ‘It was not 80,000 in the stadium, it was 44 million.'

Fax from young Kiwi before 1995 semi-final:

The legend goes that prior to 1995 semi-final, among the hundreds of faxes and mail the All Blacks received from fans around the world, one memorable message stands out from the others in the team's memory.

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