Jonah Lomu - My Reflections
Yesterday was 5 years since Jonah Lomu, the first genuine global rugby star passed away. This sad milestone made me reflect on the number of interactions I was privileged to have with the big guy.
My first interaction was in Nukualofa, when Jonah returned to his country of birth for the very first time as an adult in 1996. An event that brought the country to a standstill, with the streets lined with adoring fans from the airport to his hotel. This was a trend that was repeated many times in many locations around the world.
My next interaction was in early 1999, when adidas launched our association with Jonah at Wesley College, where only a few years earlier Jonah had starred as both a rugby player but also a track & field athlete. Jonah was naturally shy but came to life in front of the camera.
This was followed by his starring role at the 1999 World Cup, where he had two outstanding games in the pool game against England and in NZ’s semi final loss to France. His performance at this event further enhanced his profile as the “biggest” in rugby. Post match his sportsmanship came to the fore, as he was one of the few All Blacks who remained on the field to congratulate the French team on their victory
Over the years, I organised and witnessed multiple public signing sessions around the world including epics at the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Roland Garros in Paris and Herzogenarach in Germany. On every occasion, Jonah was humble, engaged and a wonderful ambassador. Unlike many athletes, Jonah would continue signing until the very last person had received their treasured signature or selfie. This would often be more than an hour after the agreed timings.
We also were lucky enough to use Jonah’s image and profile in multiple advertising campaigns, including the All Black launch campaigns, brilliantly crafted by Saatchi & Saatchi. The global adidas campaigns where Jonah was positioned alongside global sporting superstars like Martina Hingis, David Beckham, Anna Kournikova & Sergio Garcia. Jonah was the first rugby player than was able to transcend beyond the rugby.
Along with being, the most incredible athlete, Jonah was an incredibly giving guy. Thank you, Jonah for the time you made available to adidas, you enriched our lives, you enhanced our brand. You were so special on so many fronts. RIP.
Principal @ Tūhana Business and Human Rights Limited | Human Rights Expert
4yAndrew, I just saw your post so apologies for the delay . I first met Jonah at Auckland airport when we signed a new contract when he returned from the 1999 World Cup. It was the end of an interesting start for me but a start learning a lot from Jonah. There are so many memories but for me the best was at Blackrock club in Dublin where the team was training. At the end of the training the team went back to the sheds to get in tracksuits. When Jonah emerged he was swamped and had to retreat to the steps of the team so he could sign autographs - he had been signing for about 30 minutes when a mother of a kid who was near the end of the queue came up to me. She was worried her son would be upset if he missed out and asked would Jonah stay. I said no one will tell him to but you can be certain he will. And he did. The next day one of the Irish papers headline was Uber-team - it would have been even better had Hebert H. been in town on that day instead of the Saturday! But I know the adidas team made sure of that. It was the week we saw Richie McCaw play his first match and influence the result in a big way. We were so lucky to have both of them and everyone in between but there will only ever be one Jonah.
Managing Director @ Performance Plus Aotearoa | Chief Executive | Chef de Mission
4yWell said Andrew. The big guy was definitely special and represented many groups and organisations globally with genuine positivity and professionalism.
General Commercial, Senior Management, Portfolio and Project Management
4yBeautiful words Gazey
Organise, execute, learn, improve and innovate! I‘m "officially" retired but still open to interesting assignments: simply DM me to make contact.
4yI was lucky enough to spend some time with him too. Just a nice humble guy with no ego. I still have the Speed Bump poster in my tv room. Thanks for stirring the memories!
Apple Creative Director | Brand Builder | Creative Leader | ex Wieden + Kennedy, Goodby Silverstein & Partners | Nike | adidas | Samsung | HP | Delta
4yThey say “never meet your hero”. Well I was lucky enough to meet Jonah and the big man didn’t disappoint. In fact he only grew bigger in person. Miss you 11. Hi Andrew Gaze Indy Saha @paulscoringe