NZ should harness Lomu's star power

NZ should harness Lomu's star power
By DUNCAN JOHNSTONE - Stuff.co.nz
Last updated 12:06 12/10/2009




Reuters
BIG WIN: Rugby legend Jonah Lomu is embraced by a supporter after rugby's acceptance as an Olympic sport for 2016 and 2020.




OPINION: How refreshing to see a rugby organisation using the power of Jonah Lomu to get their message across.
Lomu was a key figure as rugby persuaded the Olympic movement to include Sevens in their ranks for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
It's not too often we dish out praise to the International Rugby Board but they need a double dose of "well done" for their efforts last week.
First of all, great work in getting rugby on to arguably the grandest stage of all.
Sevens, with its high speed game and quick-fire tournament format, is well suited to the Olympics and there will be no arguments from Kiwis who will sniff a genuine chance of a rare medal at this level.
Secondly, well done to the IRB for enlisting the help of Lomu to get their message across when it mattered most.
With the finish line in sight after gaining a nomination along with golf to be added to the programme for Rio, Lomu helped rugby get rubber-stamped.
There he was as the good news was delivered to the rugby delegation hugging the likes of IRB president Bernard Lapasset and chief executive Mike Miller.
Lomu made his name in Sevens before going on to be an All Blacks superstar.
But he never lost his appetite for the abbreviated game, winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal and a Sevens World Cup in amongst his test duties.
A World Cup win in 15s eluded him in 1995 and 1999 but he still did enough in both of those tournaments to be the individual star of two glittering occasions.
That was never lost on the IRB. They realised his standing as the game's biggest name with his ability to transcend sporting stages and simply be a global sportsman, a name known to fans other than followers of rugby.
To their credit adidas have also stood by Lomu - being at his side for some of his greatest triumphs and his biggest struggles both on and off the field.
He remains one of their few sporting ambassadors.
It should be an embarrassment to New Zealand rugby that we have done so little to acknowledge his presence beyond his All Blacks achievements.
If ever there was an ambassadorial figure for the modern age it is Lomu.
Yet he has been used little if not at all to promote the game in this country or promote the New Zealand rugby cause overseas.
Lomu has matured into a fine man, comfortable to operate in the corporate surroundings as well as athletic environments.
Sadly or bravely, whatever way you look at it, he is still trying to have another crack at playing rugby again, this time in the lower divisions of the French club scene.

That's a clear mark of the passion he still possesses for the game.
It's just a pity that at times he isn't rewarded with the same sort of passion for his standing or powers on these shores.
New Zealand has a World Cup beckoning in less than two years. Who better to spread the word before and during that event than Lomu?
If he's good enough for the IRB he should be good enough for the NZRU. If he's good enough for the Olympics, he should be good enough for the World Cup.