Emotional goodbye to All Black legend Jonah Lomu
New Zealand on Monday held an emotional public memorial for rugby legend Jonah Lomu, who died earlier this month at age 40. The former All Black is considered one of rugby's first global superstars, and was capped 63 times by his country.
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Thousands of people attended the memorial, among them members of New Zealand's Pacific Island communities.
Former All Black Coach John Hart paid tribute to Lomu, reminding mourners that given his illness, Lomu only played at 80 percent of capacity. In full health, he could have been even more fearsome.
At his peak, Lomu weighed 120 kilograms and could cover 100 metres in 10.8 seconds.
Lomu was diagnosed with a rare kidney condition back in 1995, but his cause of death has not been established.
A private family burial service will be held Tuesday in Auckland.
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