WOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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<BR>01/10/2005 The All Black in Blue - Jonah Lomu signs for Cardiff Blues
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<BR>Cardiff Blues can confirm that they have signed rugby’s first global superstar Jonah Lomu.
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<BR>The All Black legend will be available for Celtic, Heineken and Powergen competitions and is expected to arrive in Wales in mid November with a view to making his Blues debut in the first week of December.
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<BR>A press conference will be held at 2.00pm Saturday the 1st.
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<BR>Jonah Lomu Factfile
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<BR>Jonah Lomu first received international recognition when he took the Hong Kong Sevens tournament completely by surprise in 1994. Full player factfile below - read on.
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<BR>Rugby fans had never seen such an unbelievable combination of speed, power, ball skills and amazing tackle-breaking.
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<BR>Full Name Jonah Tali Lomu
<BR>Birthdate 12 May 1975
<BR>Born Auckland, NZ
<BR>Height 1.96m (6ft 5\")
<BR>Weight 125kg (19 st)
<BR>Chest 116cm (46\")
<BR>Hips 125cm (49\")
<BR>Boot Size 13 (NZ Sizing)
<BR>School Attended Wesley College Auckland, NZ
<BR>Fastest 100m 10.8 seconds
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<BR>At the age of 19 years 45 days, Jonah Lomu became the youngest All Black test player as he made his debut against France in 1994.
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<BR>If 1994, was a big year for Jonah, 1995 was phenomenal. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, Jonah Lomu stormed onto the world stage - named Player of the Tournament and scoring some of the best running tries ever seen in the game of rugby. His individual 4-try demolition of the English team in the semifinal was a defining moment. Jonah had definitely arrived.
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<BR>1996 saw Jonah held back by niggling leg and shoulder injuries. He did score in the inaugural Super 12 final for the Auckland Blues against Natal, and had a sensational day against Australia in the All Blacks 35 point win on Athletic Park.
<BR>However, it was the end of 1996 that saw Jonah diagnosed as having Nephrotic Syndrome, a rare and serious kidney disorder. His rugby career went on hold whilst Jonah tackled the problem head on
<BR>Jonah forced his way back into his beloved number 11 All Black jersey for 2 tests against England & Wales on tour in late 1997 and another career highlight was achieved in 1998 when he won a Gold Medal in the rugby sevens at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
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<BR>From the statistics below you can see that despite a career of tremendous highs and challenging lows, he has scored everywhere he has played.
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<BR>Statistics
<BR>Counties Manukau games 28 Tries 19 Points 95
<BR>North Island Games 1 Tries 2 Points 10
<BR>Presidents XV Games 1 Tries 2 Points 10
<BR>NZ Harlequins Games 1 Tries 3 Points 15
<BR>NZ Colts Games 3 Tries 5 Points 25
<BR>Auckland Blues (1996-98) Games 22 Tries 13 Points 65
<BR>Chiefs Games 8 Tries 2 Points 10
<BR>Hurricanes Games 25 Tries 11 Points 55
<BR>Wainuiomata Games 3 Tries 2 Points 10
<BR>NZ Sevens Games 7 Tries 20 Points 100
<BR>New Zealand (1994-2002) Games 57 Tries 39 Points 195
<BR>NZ Tests (1994-2000) Games 43 Tries 29 Points 145
<BR>New Zealand \"A\" Games 3 Tries 3 Points 15
<BR>NZ Trials 1994-96 Games 4 Tries 5 Points 25
<BR>NZ Barbarians Games 2 Tries 0 Points 0
<BR>Barbarians Games 2 Tries 5 Points 25
<BR>World Barbarians Games 1 Tries 0 Points 0
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<BR>TOTAL (1994-2005) Games 212 Tries 160 Points 800
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<BR>Info from
www.jonahlomu.com
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