Sean Fitzpatrick says Jonah Lomu’s death yesterday at the age of 40 came as a real shock.
“It was only two or three weeks ago that Jonah was here in England looking as good as ever. It’s a tragic loss.”
Lomu died suddenly at his home in Auckland, following a long battle with kidney disease.
Fitzpatrick was Lomu’s captain at the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, where NZ lost in the final to the hosts.
He told Paul Henry that he vividly remembers that tournament, when Jonah became a global superstar.
“I look back to the way we trained, we wanted to be the fastest team. Little did we know we were going to have a 19 and a half stone winger who could run like the wind.”
If it hadn’t been for Eric Rush suffering an injury before the World Cup, Fitzpatrick says Jonah may not have made the team.
Fitzpatrick says he remembers Lomu as a man who loved music and cars.
Watch the video for the full interview with Sean Fitzpatrick.
