By Gerard Meagher, The Guardian
London

Wednesday marked 20 years to the day that rugby union turned professional but a few months earlier the sport had already changed for ever. The end of the amateur era was seminal but Jonah Lomu’s emergence at the 1995 World Cup was seismic.
Standing 6ft 5in, at more than 18st, Lomu’s like had never been seen before on a rugby pitch, let alone the wing. Running in seven tries, four of them against England in the semi-final, Lomu, having just turned 20, made an indelible mark on rugby union in South Africa, not to mention Mike Catt’s face.
“I used that tournament that to show I was worthy to be on the paddock with the top players in the world and there was no better team to stamp your authority on to play your best game than against England,” says Lomu.
“The one thing that I had and that I believed was the key to me winning the majority of my battles was that I was mentally prepared to go to the deepest, darkest place where people would not want to go.”
Lomu was a pioneer for rugby union. He raised interest to levels not witnessed before and his legacy can be seen every time George North or Julian Savea, two modern day wing behemoths, take the field. For someone so synonymous with the Rugby World Cup though, it can be forgotten that he never won it. The All Blacks fell to the Springboks in the 1995 final, caught up in the wave of euphoria that had coursed through South Africa and in 1999 France mustered an incredible semi-final comeback at Twickenham.

complex kidney disorder
Despite a complex kidney disorder Lomu won 63 caps, from which he scored 37 tries, but he was not part of 2003 World Cup squad and he was retired by 2007, tainted by association as part of the All Blacks sides who would dominate World Cup cycles but choke on the big stage.
“I don’t have any regrets about it. 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,” adds Lomu. “As Francois Pienaar [their captain] said, It was not 80,000 in the stadium it was 44 million.
“It’s sweeter now than it felt at the time. 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 think at almost every World Cup, especially in the last 20 years, the All Blacks have gone in as favourites to win but it doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past, it’s about what you do at the tournament.”
Lomu knows better than to tip New Zealand to defend their title then but he also reserved judgment when Australia triumphed in Sydney to clinch this year’s truncated Rugby Championship. In fact, it was in that defeat that Lomu believes the star of the forthcoming World Cup was born.
“There’s Nehe Milner-Skudder – the man is electric. He is lightning. If you give them him much space and too many options he will turn you inside out,” says Lomu. “He’s an exciting machine to watch. He’s not like your big wingers, he is lightning in a jar. He can step someone within five metres. It’s a very good sign for New Zealand.
“The last guy I saw of that and skill size was Jason Robinson. He’s in that sort of calibre, turning guys inside out, and he’s got a turn of pace to go with it.”
Some compliment, but Lomu is yet to be convinced by England’s latest cross-code convert, expected to be named in Stuart Lancaster’s 31-man squad.
“Sam Burgess has only played for six months, he’s been trying to figure out two positions that he’s played in and he’s most likely to make the England team. Purely based on the amount of time he’s played in the game, I wouldn’t make that selection,” says Lomu.
“It’s nothing against the guy. I just think he needs a bit more time to figure it out and are you willing to risk that at international level? He was a star but a star in rugby league and as a forward. He’s a great defender when he hits you but when you have guys like Matt Giteau who is light on his feet and can change direction …”
And what of England, hosts of the tournament who, beset by selection quandaries, forgot the fundamentals against France last weekend. “The defeat raised more headaches than answers,” adds Lomu. “But there were patches of brilliance. It went from a blow-out to losing by five points and with another five minutes they could have won the game.
“You never discount England at home. They tend to grow another person on the field when they play at home. They’ve got such great supporters and they have just got to draw on that, but playing at home in a World Cup can also add to the pressure. It was on us in 2011. If we didn’t win that most of the players would have left New Zealand.
“When you play for the All Blacks you’re not allowed to lose. Our prime minister said it best: ‘If the All Blacks win the World Cup you want to be the captain. If the All Blacks lose the World Cup then you want to be the prime minister.”