Big Jonah's first taste of the test match arena

The year 1994 was the beginning of a significant era in All Black rugby; that of Jonah Lomu.

As he stood straight, hand over heart while the New Zealand national anthem played at Lancaster Park in Christchurch, Lomu’s head was surely a rush of emotion, knowing that in just a few short minutes, he was about to become the youngest All Black in the proud jersey’s history. He was just 19.

The All Blacks took on a strong French outfit that afternoon and the young Lomu, blissfully unaware of the prodigious effect his career would have on the game of rugby, was named on the left wing.

Even at 19, Lomu was a giant, standing at 1.96m and weighing over 120kg, and before kick-off had played only 5 first class games on the wing. Unsurprisingly, he had played in the back-row during his school days.

The All Blacks were not at their usual level that day, eventually losing the game 22-8 – the first time a French side had managed to come away from that field as victors, yet Lomu was able to show some flashes of what was to come with some truly remarkable exhibitions of power and strength as he motored down the touchline, dwarfing his would-be tacklers.

The big man won a total of 73 All Black caps over an eight year international career, scoring 215 points. Unfortunately, health issues cut short his playing days and plagued him until his tragic death in 2015. He is considered by many as the greatest to have played the game.