KEY POINTS:
Rugby is still the goal for Jonah Lomu - not league - even though fans may never see the All Black great play in New Zealand again.
Lomu's brief brush with rugby league, when he was wooed by new NRL franchise the Gold Coast Titans, ended when Lomu
said the offer "just wasn't for me".
It was a response that suggests league is no longer on his agenda, as he concedes the Titans offer was handsome. Instead, Lomu is now turning his sights on rugby overseas again after the 63-test veteran and star of two rugby World Cups failed this year to secure a Super 14 contract.
In a further blow, he was cut by his provincial side North Harbour after a series of injuries and limited game time last year. While Lomu is reluctant to leave New Zealand, he conceded for the first time last week that to continue playing rugby would almost certainly mean a move abroad.
"At this point in time, there's little chance of me playing here again. There's no Super 14 contract, no Harbour contract. Things change, life evolves," Lomu said.
"In sport you often come to a crossroads and you have to make decisions about what step next to take. At the moment, I'm at the crossroads.
"I know things will happen - it's just they won't happen here."
Lomu said he wasn't hurt by that realisation as he wasn't the only rugby player who had been forced to look offshore. Although reluctant to discuss his options, he claimed there were a number of good offers on the table.
This could mean a return to Wales and the Cardiff Blues, where the 31-year-old was a hit with fans during his seven months there last season.
However, Lomu told the Herald on Sunday that, with the European season not starting until around September, he was in no hurry to make any decisions about his playing future.
"But the one thing I know is that I want to play," Lomu said, rejecting speculation about possible retirement.
Despite widespread criticism about his comeback, Lomu insists he still has a lot to offer the game and started training again soon after Christmas to show how serious he was about prolonging his career.
"I've been able to get rid of all the niggles and other problems I had which should have been sorted at the time but weren't able to be because of the time constraints I had in trying to secure a Super 14 contract," he said.
"Now I'm just champing at the bit to get out there again and play. I feel fresh and want another season under my belt - and to show people I still have something to offer."
Lomu also spoke for the first time about why he turned down an offer to change codes and play rugby league for the Gold Coast Titans this season.
"It was simple really. It just didn't feel right. I had to follow my instincts - and on this occasion, my decision was not to go. There was nothing more in it than that. But once I made that decision, there was no turning back," Lomu said.
"I had to pay them the courtesy of having a look and I was interested. The offer was great. It was everything you could dream of as a player, rugby or league. It just wasn't for me - and I'm okay with that."
If Lomu isn't on the global stage as a player any more, he still has worldwide pulling power, as his role in a new adidas TV commercial proves.
In a campaign entitled "Impossible Is Nothing", Lomu joins other global sporting stars, explaining how they overcame adversity. Lomu's ad will screen in up to 150 countries.
"Of all the athletes involved in this campaign, Jonah's story is the one that has got people talking," says adidas New Zealand marketing manager Craig Waugh.
In the advert, Lomu tells his "impossible story" through hand-drawn illustrations and paintings - and while he's no Van Gogh, the former All Black is a dab hand with pencil and paintbrush. Each drawing depicts his struggle from his kidney transplant to his return to the playing field.
