page_title: Jonah Lomu
section_title: End of international career
hierarchical_section_title: Jonah Lomu / End of international career
caption_attribution_description: English: Jonah Lomu is a New Zealand rugby union player. 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens . Español: En villa marista en Argentina en enero de 2001. .
context_page_description: Jonah Tali Lomu MNZM was a New Zealand rugby union player. He became the youngest ever All Black when he played his first international in 1994 at the age of 19 years and 45 days. Playing on the wing Lomu finished his international career with 63 caps and 37 tries. He is regarded as the first true global superstar of rugby and consequently had a huge impact on the game. Lomu was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame on 9 October 2007, and the IRB Hall of Fame on 24 October 2011.
  Lomu burst onto the international rugby scene during the 1994 Hong Kong Sevens tournament, the same year he made his fifteen-a-side debut. He was widely acknowledged as the top player at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa even though New Zealand lost the final to the host South Africa. His performance at the Rugby World Cup established him as "rugby union's biggest drawcard" just as the game turned professional, with him swelling attendances at any match where he appeared. He shares the Rugby World Cup all-time try scoring record of 15 tries, which he accumulated in only two tournaments.
context_section_description: Lomu started 2000 with big victories over Tonga and Scotland. The opening match of the 2000 Tri Nations Series was played in front of a record crowd of 109,874 and has been labelled the  "match of the century'.' New Zealand scored three tries in the first five minutes to lead by 21 points, before Australia came back, leveling the scores before half time. With minutes remaining, the Wallabies led 35 to 34; until Lomu "brushed past a desperate Stephen Larkham to tip-toe down the line and score the winning try". The match was followed by a victory over South Africa, and then a re-match with Australia, which Australia won 24 to 23. New Zealand lost the final game to South Africa finishing second in the table, behind Australia. Lomu played in one other test that year; against France at Stade de France in November, which the All Blacks won 39 to 26.
  Lomu was part of the New Zealand Sevens team that won the 2001 Sevens World Cup, filling in for Rush, who suffered a broken leg during the competition. In the lead up to the 2001 Tri Nations Series, the All Blacks played Argentina and France at home, Lomu scoring a try in the French match. After a try-less opening victory against South Africa Lomu played his 50th test for the All Blacks at the Carisbrook 'House of Pain', scoring a try in the second minute of play. The Wallabies spoiled the party however, winning 23 to 15. This was followed by a win over South Africa, and loss to the Wallabies at Stadium Australia.
  During the 1999 off season, Lomu transferred to Wellington, signing up with second division club Wainuiomata RFC. Lomu played his debut match against Northern United scoring twice and attracting a bumper crowd and followed that up with a further appearance in 2001. Lomu wore the green and black club socks when he played for the Barbarian F.C. in 2000.
  At the end of the year, the All Blacks played Ireland at Lansdowne Road in Dublin. Lomu was a central figure in the 40 to 29 win, setting up Aaron Mauger for his debut try, and taking an inside pass to blast through for one of his own. The All Blacks end of season tour continued at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, where they defeated Scotland 37 to six, with Lomu contributing one try. In the final match of the tour, the All Blacks played Argentina at the River Plate Stadium. Lomu put the All Blacks in front with a try after Argentina took an early lead. New Zealand won the match by a score of 24 to 20.
  In his first test of 2002, he came off the bench in the second half to score a try in a match against Italy. He was again injected into play from the bench in the first of a two test series against Ireland in New Zealand; helping New Zealand to an uninspiring win. Lomu was back starting on the left wing for the second test against the Irish, which New Zealand won 40–8. Lomu did not score in the subsequent match against Fiji; in performance that was labelled "disappointing" by Matthew Cooper after he was beaten on the outside for Fiji's first try. Lomu came off the bench in the All Blacks first game of the 2002 Tri Nations Series against South Africa, though he did not play in the rest of the tournament.
  He returned to the wing for a game against England in November 2002. Lomu ended up scoring two tries, though it was not enough to secure a New Zealand victory, with England winning 31–28. The subsequent match against France resulted in a draw, the first between the two nations in 96 years. The last match of the end of season tour was against Wales, which the All Blacks won 43–17. These were the last international matches that Lomu would play for New Zealand as his illness worsened and he needed a kidney transplant.
caption: Jonah Lomu in training in 2001
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