KEY POINTS:
So Tana's had an aisle named after him at the Cake Tin. I guess that is something but for a nation soaked in rugby passion and folklore, we do not celebrate our sporting heroes well.
There are no rugby equivalents of the Bradman Stand, the Vic Richardson Gates or the Doug Walters Stand which Australia has used to commemorate their cricketing legends.
Pockets of enthusiastic spectators brandish painted banners nominating their rugby idols but players do not roll out of the Fred Allen tunnel in Auckland, the Don Clarke corridors in Hamilton, onto the Meads arena or play in front of the Fergie McCormick stand in Christchurch or the Vic Cavanagh terraces in Dunedin.
We do not publicly honour our coaching or playing greats.
There are sports halls or museums where their deeds are well documented, pubs have handprints left in concrete by rugby men but the sporting arenas where they displayed their skills, remain devoid of permanent respect.
It was no surprise then that the New Zealand Rugby Union had a limited contribution towards the recent reunion of the All Blacks who won the 1987 World Cup.
And it would have been crazy to think they would have used Jonah Lomu as a World Cup ambassador for this tournament and when New Zealand hosts the 2011 event. After all he was only a dominant All Black force at two World Cups.
Without Lomu's impact and signature, professional rugby would have been far less appealing to Murdoch and much less lucrative for those who have followed in the sport. His was a US$550 million handshake.
But since his international playing days ended with his illness, for whatever reason, Lomu and the NZRU have rarely combined.
Chance lost, especially when you see the way children gravitate towards the big fella. Rugby needs all the impetus it can generate, its popularity is creaking - hiring Lomu would be a coup.
At least the Rugby World Cup organisers have understood Lomu's magnetic influence and are preparing to involve him in the opening ceremony in Paris and other tournament events.
The Italians did something similar in 2000 when they hosted Lomu and feted him for his contribution to rugby.
When the NZRU this week indicated they wanted to hold the semifinals, playoff and 2011 final at Eden Park, it emphasised the lost opportunities for that tournament.
A new purpose-built national stadium-adorned with areas acknowledging our sporting icons - for the national sport would have been superb.
Instead there will be four chaotic visits out to the suburban dinosaur.
