Rugby: Jonah doesn't make the top ten

By Wynne Gray

Jonah Lomu cannot make the All Black test side for this weekend's Tri-Nations test with the Springboks but he makes renowned commentator Keith Quinn's World XV of the century.

That contradiction could explain Quinn's push to have the big fella start at Pretoria, to reinforce his view in his latest book, A Century of Rugby Greats, that "the star player of any team playing this century, for me, would quite clearly be the mighty Jonah Lomu of New Zealand."

Lomu is a star of world rugby, his incandescence given a global audience at the 1995 World Cup.

The massive wing is as famous as any player in the game, television has thrust his talents and reputation to the forefront of world attention.

While Lomu is a sporting luminary, I would dispute those who give him a pre-eminent place in world rugby history.

In his superb new book, Quinn includes Ron Jarden, John Kirwan, Bryan Williams and Jeff Wilson as other great wings from New Zealand to go alongside Lomu in the list of 100 world greats.

While Lomu became a sensation at the 1995 World Cup with some extraordinary feats, that was his best year in the All Black jersey.

No fault of his, just my opinion, and indeed I rate his work in the final Bledisloe Cup test in Sydney that same year rather than the famous World Cup semifinal trampling of England, as his finest performance in a black jersey.

Injury, then that debilitating kidney illness have chewed into the big man's career since, although he remains a fearsome weapon, real or imagined, for any rugby side.

His manager, Phil Kingsley Jones, is doing his best to get Lomu off the reserves bench and into the starting XV with implied comments he will take the wing offshore after this World Cup if he does not make the test lineup.

Some of the comments attributed to Kingsley Jones are laughable for someone who has told us that all Lomu wants to do is play his sport.

"Sometimes rugby holds Jonah back," and "the All Blacks won't win the World Cup without Jonah Lomu on the field," were two of the latest offerings.

You feel for Lomu and understand his manager's angle, but the All Black back three of Jeff Wilson, Christian Cullen and Tana Umaga is operating as a devastating trio. Umaga and Cullen's form demands they stay ahead of Lomu for now.

I would also take issue with Quinn's choice of Lomu as one of the wings in his best team of the century. Lomu may qualify as the rugby star of the century but that status as a celebrity, headliner or famous person does not equate to rugby great.

Arguments can be made that Lomu would not make a list of top 10 All Black wings since the Second World War.

In no particular order, like Quinn, jot down Jeff Wilson, Jarden, Williams and Kirwan on that best All Black wings list. Then consider the all-round range of skills of these men and add Grant Batty, Stu Wilson, Craig Green, Malcolm Dick, Terry Wright and John Timu and you have a terrific 10.

Others of the calibre of Cullen (as a wing), Umaga, Va'aiga Tuigamala, Morrie Dixon, Bernie Fraser, Craig Innes and Ian Smith have been overlooked for that group.

But then, like John Hart's choice for Pretoria, and Quinn's pick for his book, this is just one man's view.