Remembering Jonah

Inoke Afeaki, Singapore Rugby Union technical director

We were teammates at Wellington, and before that, in the New Zealand U-21 team.

He absolutely loved cars, and spent quite a bit of time and effort modifying his car and adding that boom machine in. So it became a common discussion topic whenever we sat down to have a meal together.

He was the first real superstar in rugby, but off the field, he’s just a good boy and was super nice.

New Zealand radio host Grant Kereama, who donated his kidney to Jonah, was our mutual friend. After the transplant, with Grant’s blessings, Jonah starting training hard again to try and get back to his best. He never did, but even so, he was still pretty good. But that shows you the kind of person he was - someone who never gives up and keeps trying even if the world doesn’t think he’ll succeed.

Ridzal Saat, Former Singapore international, and former SRU general manager. Now World Rugby’s services manager for Asia

I met him a few times here in the 1990s when I was working in the SRU.

He made a huge impact in the sport, because it never had someone like him before. You speak to people who don’t know much about rugby, but they would know Lomu. He brought rugby to a whole new level.

It’s a tragic loss. I was scrolling through his Facebook page just last night and he looked healthy in his recent photos despite his kidney problems. It’s sad that he is gone at such a young age.

Clarence Lam, Former Singapore international

When New Zealand won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Malaysia in 1998. I was invited into the dressing room because I had helped the team out before the tournament. Jonah put his gold medal around me and said: “You’re part of this victory”, and got someone to take a picture of us. That’s the kind of person he is. A gentle giant, a true gentleman, humble and down to earth. There were no airs about him - he was just the guy next door.

Mark James, Former Malaysia and Singapore national coach

When Jonah burst onto the scene, he changed the face of rugby. No one had seen or come across anyone of that ilk and that size who could run that quickly. The dexterity of his hands and his foot speed was incredible. He was built like a forward, but his skillset allowed him to convert into a winger. In the good old days, wingers were used just as finishers. But someone like Jonah became a strike weapon, used close in, far out, and he could make an impact on the field at any given time.

Justin Sampson, Former Singapore national coach; currently a rugby commentator for various media including TODAY

He was a lovely bloke and because he always had a smile on his face, many people would forget he was actually sick.

I remember once in 1997 during a fund-raising dinner, Jonah was mobbed by the crowd once it was finished. It got so chaotic I had to escort him back to his hotel room. There I saw 20 or 30 medicine bottles on his table, which showed you how sick he was even back then. Yet despite all the pain he suffered from his dialysis and treatment, he never complained and always put on a brave face.

Another time, at a charity event with 50 kids, I was struck by how Jonah made sure to give each one his attention. If you asked him for something - like an autograph or a picture - politely and respectfully, he would always oblige.