Jonah injured but the dream goes on

LONDON - Jonah Lomu has vowed to continue pursuing his dream of one day returning to the All Blacks despite dislocating his shoulder in his comeback match yesterday.

Lomu's team lost 33-29 against a star-studded Martin Johnson XV in the emotionally charged Nobok Challenge at Twickenham, the winger's first competitive match since he was sidelined nearly two years ago by the effects of chronic kidney disease.

Before a crowd of 42,100, Lomu played only the first 40 minutes before being substituted for sevens veteran and close friend Eric Rush.

Although eager to play on, Lomu revealed after the match that coach John Hart had dispatched him to the bench early because of the shoulder injury he suffered in the first ruck of the match.

While looking in stages off the pace, the 30-year-old 63-test veteran capped the game off with a try in the corner in the 33rd minute after gathering the ball from the back of the scrum and barging his way past London Wasps winger Ayoola Erinle.

Lomu appeared to have put a foot in touch, but in keeping with the free-flowing and occasionally benevolent nature of the testimonial match, referee Tony Spreadbury awarded the try despite some muted protests from the opposition.

For Lomu, the match was the first step in his well-publicised comeback to reclaim his All Black jumper, and although there wasn't the heroics of years past when he single-handedly destroyed English defences, given the two-year layoff, lack of match fitness and the damage sustained to his nerve endings from dialysis, his performance was as good as anyone could probably have hoped for.

Lomu said he knew he had a lot of work to do to return to top form, but the challenge at this stage in his career was always about "just getting out there".

"This is the start of a dream. It felt great running out. But it didn't feel so great when I partly separated my shoulder in the first ruck," Lomu said.

After leading his Southern Hemisphere side down the tunnel on to the pitch, Lomu, with his first touch of the ball in nearly two years, was held up in the tackle after trying to barge his way through the opposition line.

Moments later he collided in shuddering fashion with Sale Sharks' number eight Sebastien Chabal, one of the most feared players in the English premiership. Both men were left on their backs on the ground, with Chabal requiring medical treatment, but Lomu emerged from the clash intact.

Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting - and hoping - for arrived. A try to the big man.

Lomu was fed the ball from the back of the scrum 20 metres from the posts and then burst toward the tryline, with Erinle in tow trying to desperately wrestle him to the ground.

While the match was scrappy with lots of handling errors, Johnson said afterwards it was an emotional farewell to a 16-year career at the top.

"It was a great day and a massive game - far more emotional than I thought it would be, he said.

Hart said the fact Lomu was even playing was a miracle in itself, and no one should be criticising his performance.

* Stephen Cook of the Herald on Sunday is in Britain courtesy of Emirates Airlines.