The grieving widow of Jonah Lomu has taken down the Givealittle page set up after the rugby legend's death.
At a press conference outside Lomu's Auckland house Former All Blacks coach John Hart addressed the issue of the fundraising page and said that its intention may have been missed at a difficult time.
• Nadene Lomu takes down Givealittle page • Spokesman says it was difficult time for family • Money was to help provide for her children • READ MORE: Queen mourns Jonah's loss
The grieving widow of Jonah Lomu has taken down the Givealittle page set up after the rugby legend's death.
At a press conference outside Lomu's Auckland house Former All Blacks coach Hart addressed the issue of the fundraising page and said that its intention may have been missed at a difficult time.
He said that at the time it was thought to be the best way to handle requests from those wanting to donate to Lomu's boys - Brayley, 6, and Dhyreille, 5 - adding that Nadene Lomu had wanted to help fulfill Lomu's wish to help children round the world.
He admitted that the page had "attracted some publicity".
The Legacy of Jonah Lomu page went live on Givealittle yesterday morning, but the page and the Givealittle site crashed not long after due to the sheer amount of visitors. The site had raised more than $5000 before it was taken down.
In her initial message posted on the Givealittle page, Mrs Lomu did not give any specifics on what she planned to do with the money, simply vowing to make a difference.
"Jonah and I had big plans to make a difference in the world with all that he learnt," she said.
Nadene's Givealitttle page used this photo of the Lomu family.
She said he would always be a "great husband, father inspiration and icon to the world" and he and she wanted to build a lasting legacy with the support of his fans.
"Jonah has left this Earth too soon leaving us all empty-hearted. Through Jonah's strength which remains in our two sons and myself, with his spirit that will forever be by my side, my promise is to bring the visions we both had planned to do together."
In an updated message on the page, she explained that the money was to provide for the family's future and help with "the upbringing of our children and their education".
"We had plans to travel overseas early in 2016 to pursue business opportunities which would provide for our family's future. Unfortunately that will no longer be possible.
"All funds raised on this page will go towards helping me to support our family, assisting with the upbringing of our children and their education.
"In the future, I plan to set up a charitable trust to continue Jonah's work and legacy with children all around the world, and I will update this page with more details of this when I can."
A second Givealittle page set up by the Spark Foundation had raised more than $5600. All donations there will go to Kidney Kids - a charity Lomu was deeply involved with.
