Jonah chases a miracle

The stage is Twickenham. Home of some of world rugby's finest moments. In a darkened tunnel, a murmur of anticipation ripples through the standing-room-only crowd.

For Jonah Lomu, world rugby's greatest star, the moment of truth has finally arrived. Edging forward on their seats, the spotlight rakes the now cheering crowd as Lomu, the man who single-handedly destroyed England 10 years earlier, makes his way on to the lush turf.

Head bent, slightly overwhelmed, and maybe even a bit embarrassed by the spectacle, he knows the time has come - time to seize the moment, time to fulfil the impossible dream.

In the dead of night, this is the moment Lomu replays over and over again in his head. At times the flashes are so vivid they wake him from his deep slumber.

He knows his journey into the dangerous unknown is soon to become reality - and like an eager child waiting to unwrap their Christmas presents he can't wait.

"This will be like my first test match. I dream about it every night. At times I can feel my legs moving because I am playing the game in my mind," he says.

Six months after receiving a life-saving kidney transplant, Lomu is preparing for a miracle comeback. The shell of man who shuffled to the stage 12 months ago in Wellington to collect an award for his services to rugby, every step a huge effort, is a distant memory.

Still there are those who have said he is mad. Those who have said the challenge is too great. For any ordinary person, perhaps. But Lomu, is clearly no ordinary man.

Rugby may be a team sport, but on many occasions Lomu played it as if he were alone. His talent so singular he barely needed the help of his team-mates. "Just pass it to Jonah," the signs in the stand used to read.

For years Lomu, 29, not only dominated the sport, but changed the way it was played. For a glimpse into his greatness, one only has to think back to 1995 when, on world rugby's greatest stage, he redefined the game with moves that now bear his monogram.

Never before had such a colossus, a 118kg mountain of a man, been able to eat up so much ground so quickly. He struck fear into the heart of opponents. Some, you suspect, never recovered from the maulings he dished out. That is history now. All Lomu can focus on is the future.

He has one goal. Reclaiming the number 11 jersey he wore with such distinction for the All Blacks and leading them to victory in the 2007 World Cup. "I've been given another chance. I plan to take it," he says.

"I started this thing in 1994 and I'm yet to complete it. I have escaped the prison of daily dialysis and I have been given another chance."

The giant winger, who scored 37 tries in 63 tests between 1994 and 2002, officially confirmed last week his eagerly-awaited return to top class rugby with the announcement of details about a comeback match to be played at Twickenham on June 4.

He also spelt out his longer term plans, which include a return to NPC and Super 12 rugby - along with his ultimate goal of regaining his spot in the All Blacks for the 2007 World Cup. Lomu rubbished "those league rumours" that had arisen out of a meeting with Cullen Sports boss Eric Watson late last year - and also spoke of the numerous offers he had received to play both here and abroad.

As well, Lomu talked about the controversy surrounding the way he was treated by the New Zealand Rugby Union while he was battling his debilitating kidney disease, saying he was looking forward to sitting down with rugby bosses about a new contract when "the time was right".

He was also critical of those who had questioned his ability to return to top flight rugby, promising "to prove all the doubters wrong".

"The word failure is not in my vocabulary. This has been my goal for so long. Nothing will stop me from achieving it," he said in an exclusive interview with the Herald on Sunday.

"I don't worry what others say or think. I've never had any doubt that I would make it back."

Lomu revealed he was about to step up his training regime in his bid to make a miracle return to the rugby field in June for the match between the "Jonah Lomu XV" and the "Martin Johnston XV".

He relished the chance to return to the ground where he had arguably his finest rugby moment - the single-handed demolition of England in the 1995 World Cup. "The game will be like my first test match. I just want to get out there and get into it," Lomu said. "What better way to come back. It's so exciting I dream about it every night. I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas."

Official details of the match will be revealed at a press conference in London on Tuesday, but Lomu did confirm he had assembled some of the top names in rugby for the match. The game, he said, would be a tough reintroduction to rugby but he promised he would be ready.

"Everything is right on track for June. Things couldn't be better."

In the next few months he would be working with sevens legend Eric Rush to condition his body to cope with the rigours of international rugby. That would include building up his cardio-vascular system, and concentrating hard on speed work.

"It's all or nothing now. Over the next few months we're really going to pick things up. In some ways I'm training harder now than when I was playing," he said.

"The body is standing up well to things. I am enjoying the pain of pushing my body hard. As a rugby player, it makes you feel alive."

Doctors, he said, had given him an official clearance to resume full training and had examined every possible risk. There had been no side effects to the daily cocktail of pills he was taking and the "serious risk" period following the transplant was now over. He said the fact his new kidney, donated by friend and radio DJ Grant Kereama, was located at the rear of his ribcage, meant he was at no greater risk than other players.

The winger's wife and manager, Fiona, said had surgeons not been able to place the new kidney where they had, he would not have even considered playing again.

"If there was a really huge risk, we wouldn't be doing it. This is groundbreaking stuff. You've had your basketballers, but this is full contact."

And for his part, Fiona said, Kereama was "more than happy" Lomu was about to fulfil his dream of returning to the game. "It's a chance for a part of him to play for the All Blacks," she said.

Former All Black doctor John Mayhew also backed Lomu's decision to play again, saying transplant surgeon Stephen Munn had located the new kidney far enough behind the ribcage to ensure there was minimal risk of injury.

"There are people out there asking whether it is worth the risk. But Stephen is a very experienced transplant surgeon and he would not have given this approval lightly," he said. "Jonah is not being foolhardy about this. He is in the best shape he has been for years."

Lomu said one of the most exciting aspects of his comeback was the fact that for the first time in his career he would be 100 per cent fit. Even at his best, he said, he would have been lucky to have been 80 per cent fit.

The time on the sidelines had also given him a chance to analyse his game and work on weaknesses, and he believed he would return to the game a more complete player. He said that while the June 4 match was a critical stepping stone in his comeback, what followed was more important.

He wanted to play in the NPC this season, but still had to decide for which union.

His aim was to play well enough in the NPC to secure a Super 12 contract, and then "who knows".

"Obviously the All Blacks is my ultimate goal. That is further down the line for me. We'll just have to see how things go."

Lomu said he held no grudges toward the NZRU and the way it had treated him when it came to renegotiating his contract in 2003.

At the time Lomu was on kidney dialysis and decided to terminate his contract with the union after he was offered only a fraction of the money he had previously been on as one of the game's elite players.

"I'd be lying if I said we haven't had our disagreements, but everyone has those," he said.

"But I think of the NZRU as team players. They gave me space and left me to it. They have been pretty supportive through all of this."

Lomu said he was committed to New Zealand rugby and had no thoughts about switching to league.

He confirmed that he had met Watson, but said it had "nothing to do with rugby league"

"I don't know where these rumours come from, but I am not going to league," Lomu said. "My goal is the 2007 (rugby) World Cup and league isn't going to help me achieve that."

He was not prepared to reveal the nature of the discussions, or if the talks were ongoing - but he did say that Watson was just "one of a number" of people he was having talks with.

He believes the sporting gods are smiling on him and will allow him to fulfil his destiny.

But he is under no illusions about the difficulty of the job ahead. He says the next few months will be "intense" - like nothing he has ever experienced before.

"There's no short cuts. I will be pushing myself to the absolute limit. I'm feeling muscles I haven't felt for years."

At the moment, a typical day for Lomu involves a walk in the morning with his dog and then to the gym for consecutive 90 minute sessions. From the moment he enters the gym he is in constant motion. Inside the boxing ring he launches lefts and rights and dodges imaginary blows, before setting to work on the rowing machine, the treadmill and the exercycle.

He has been doing some weight work, but he's easing back on that now, concentrating more on clocking up as many kilometres as possible so he has the necessary stamina to compete with the game's elite.

Lomu is about to step up his training regime with Rush. The key, Lomu says, is conditioning.

For the blockbusting winger that means getting the body to the point where it is battle-hardened enough to ensure he can survive 80 minutes of tough combat.

He currently weighs in around 121kgs, but has no doubts that he will still have the pace that was such a priceless part of his game during his peak years in the 90s.

Lomu knows the next five months will be a blur.

"I am so excited. I just can't wait. Running out into that huge stadium will really be something. The fulfilment of a dream."

- HERALD ON SUNDAY