NewstalkZB’s Mike Hosking speaks to NZ Rugby Players Association head Rob Nichol about a new trust set up to provide for the sons of Jonah Lomu after revelations the rugby superstar died broke. Nichol tells Hosking of the hope people will be attracted to the ideal of giving something back to the sons of a man who gave New Zealand and the world of rugby so much.
Jonah Lomu's financial problems were likely the result of the extravagances of youth and health problems turning off the earnings taps, says a figure familiar with rugby player finances.
The source, who did not wish to be named given the sensitivity surrounding the rugby star's death, said today's professional rugby players were given far better advice than those who came of age, as Lomu did, when the game turned professional in 1995.
"Nowadays, there's a heck of a lot of support for players," he said. "They all have professional development agents now, and a lot of sessions of financial planning are run by New Zealand Rugby. But that's all relatively new, maybe the last 10 years. Going back to 1995, there's nothing there."
The news that Lomu died broke came as leading figures in rugby announced they had set up a trust to help Lomu's boys Dhyreille, 6, and Brayley, 5.
The trust - which excludes the boys' mother, Nadene, as a beneficiary or from having control of any of the funds - has been set up by the NZ Rugby Players Association.
The realisation shortly after Lomu's death that his family's finances were in such a dire state had come as a "shock". The source said the combination of youth and a sudden stardom almost inevitably saw new All Blacks engage in wasteful spending.
"Once they become an All Black, and their salary doubles or triples, you kind of always know they're going to have a bit of a splurge on something. I've resigned myself that they'll always get at least one item - usually a flash car," he said.
It is understood most, if not all, of Lomu's cars were purchased on finance deals. Photo / Photosport.nz
Early in his career, Lomu was known for his extravagant car collection. His best-known vehicle was a Nissan Patrol with a $100,000 sound system. At various times, his collection included a HSV, an R34 Nissan GT-R, a Hummer, Lamborghini and a 1967 Camaro. It is understood most, if not all, of these cars were purchased on finance deals.
The source, who advises senior rugby players, said he recommended they focus on "sensible" decisions after the first splurge.
"The first priority is a mortgage-free home, then everything else above that is bonus territory," he said.
When Lomu died last month he was living in a rental property. The Epsom house had a rateable valuation of $2.2 million.
The renal illness which cut short Lomu's career and forced him to retire from playing for the All Blacks aged only 27, would have bit into his earnings and his ability to protect them, the source said.
"The longer you can extend your career the more you make," he said.
"While in a perfect world young people take out income protection insurance, they don't tend to take it out aged 18 or 19 as they think they're bulletproof. He got diagnosed [with kidney problems] early, and that was always going to be an exclusion for him."
The source said he was a "massive fan" of Lomu and his observations weren't intended as criticism of the giant winger.
"Sometimes it is just sheer bad luck. It can happen to lawyers, judges, you can see intelligent people stung by bad investments. What we try to do is prevent young players getting a lot of money and blowing it."
However, Lomu's friend and former team-mate Josh Kronfeld told the Herald that Lomu never earned millions of dollars despite being the biggest name in international rugby.
Kronfeld agreed the superstar winger was paid well during his playing career and since, but it was nowhere near the multi-millions of dollars that some are claiming.
"I think some people need to understand that during his playing career Jonah didn't make anywhere near the money they imagine he did," said Kronfeld, who was Lomu's roommate with the All Blacks in 1995, including the World Cup in South Africa, after team management decided to pair the shy Tongan giant with a senior All Black. The pair became good friends and Kronfeld had a unique insight into his team-mate.
Jonah Lomu in his prime. Illness put a cap on his earning power after he retired. Photo / Getty Images
"People read what Richie McCaw and Dan Carter make playing for the All Blacks and assume those figures are what Jonah was on from the mid-1990s on but that's just not right," he said today as details emerged about the trust being set up to look after Lomu's two young sons.
"That sort of money wasn't around for any players in our era, including Jonah.
"He made good money from playing at the time but not what people assumed it to be. It was never millions of dollars. And you also need to remember his playing career was not that long due to his illness. He never had the lengthy playing career of other guys and that would have limited his earning potential further."
Kronfeld, who was one of the former All Blacks who performed a touching haka at the Lomu memorial service at Eden Park, also pointed out that there were many lucrative endorsement opportunities during his playing career that Lomu was not able to take up.
"This is not a criticism of the New Zealand Rugby Union, but there were quite strong restrictions in place during his career over what an All Black could earn from sponsors outside of the union's. I'm sure Jonah could have done a lot more endorsement work and earned more money without those restrictions. But those restrictions were in place to protect All Blacks sponsors and were understandable."
Drain on his finances
Kronfeld also said Lomu's earning potential after retirement was also affected by his health problems, which prevented him from committing huge hours to boosting his finances.
"When you consider how long he's had to have health treatment since retiring and the drain of that on both his time to do other things and his finances, it must have been very difficult for him. It's a very sad situation for all involved."
Lomu with his wife Nadene their boys Dhyreille and Brayley. Photo / Supplied
In an interview with Mike Hosking, NZ Rugby Players Association chief executive Rob Nichol said they were not asking ordinary mums and dads to donate money: "One of the things that is important is that we're not telling you to donate. If you're an organisation in London or the UK or France who has had interactions with Jonah and you appreciated what he did then you might want to step up right now.
"We're not telling people to donate - this is an option - the concept of mums and dads having to fork out money if they can't afford it - we're not pitching for that whatsoever."
When asked about the social media photos of Lomu laden with shopping bags on what looked like a very expensive holiday, Nichol said: "Having been up at the Rugby World Cup I saw exactly how it worked - there was so much work up there for icons of the game - whether it be Jonah Lomu or any past player.
"All of them were well looked after and were flown business class - they all get the opportunity to extend with family because they are actually taken away from their families to do the work dutring the Rugby World Cup which is a long period of time and they were simply returning home."
How you can help
DONATE: Those wanting to donate to the trust set up for Jonah Lomu's sons can do so through the official jonahlomulegacy.com website or through the lomulegacy.com supporting website, powered by NZME's GrabOne. NZME is the parent company of the NZ Herald and NewstalkZB. Donations can also be made through any branch of the ASB Bank or by online banking to the Jonah Lomu Legacy Trust, account number 12-3647-0022925-00.
