Lomus get set for day of 'personal triumph'

It was Fiona Lomu's darkest hour.

Her husband lying in agony on the living room floor, numb from the knees down, unable to move after his legs had given way beneath him.

His 10-year battle with kidney disease had finally caught up with him.

But two years on, Lomu - the most recognisable face in world rugby - has a new kidney and in less than 48 hours the opportunity to make his comeback in the Martin Johnson testimonial match at Twickenham.

And he hopes it will be the first step towards making it back into the All Blacks.

While there are some sceptics, his wife - and biggest supporter - is in no doubt he will fulfil his goal and "finally set his soul at peace".

She has been alongside him every step of the way and says Lomu's determination to rise again to the top of world rugby has to be seen to be believed.

Fiona Lomu works fulltime as her husband's manager and has been in the United Kingdom with Lomu for the past fortnight putting the final touches to the comeback event.

Around 50,000 tickets have been pre-sold for the match, which is also doubling as Johnson's farewell to rugby.

"I often have moments where it really hits home what he has achieved to get to this point. It just feels like last month that we were dealing with all the issues surrounding the transplant," she said.

"The memories of how tough it has been over the past couple of years have not faded. An enormous amount of hard work has gone into where we are now."

She said just getting to this point was a major achievement in itself. The competitive spirit was as strong as ever, despite two years away from the game.

"Jonah's sheer passion and determination for what he wants to do is huge and I never doubted he would pull on another pair of rugby boots," she said.

Lomu said without the support of his wife he would not be on the precipice of one of the sporting world's most talked about comebacks.

Without doubt, there had been tough times over the past two years.

"She has seen me at my grumpiest. She has seen me throw the toys out of the cot. It's been a long, tough road. We had just got married and she soon was to be married to a dialysis machine. That places a lot of strain on a relationship," Lomu said.

For her part, Fiona Lomu says the day of the comeback match will be a huge personal triumph but also of mixed emotions.

"I will be nervous on the day only because I want it to go well. We have come through all of this and finally we have arrived at the point of no return. It will be a special moment."

She hopes the New Zealand public does not place too much expectation on her husband. It was his first game in two years and symbolised more than anything the beginning of a "long journey".

"Jonah has got a goal and it's far removed from Saturday. We just have to give him time to get back into the groove," she said.

"For me, I'm just happy he's out there and he's back."

Lomu's return

What: Martin Johnson testimonial match
Where: Twickenham, London, Sunday morning (NZT). Live on TV ONE at 6.30am.

* Steve Cook of the Herald on Sunday is in the UK courtesy of Emirates.