Louisa Wall: Three cheers for Jonah

The stage has been well and truly set, the cameras are rolling and we are all waiting patiently for the much-advertised performance of Jonah Tali Lomu.

He made his debut for the All Blacks in 1994, scored 37 tries in 63 tests and, at the 1995 World Cup semifinal against England, scored four tries to seal the All Black victory.

Apparently he was motivated by a letter supposedly from England winger Tony Underwood that basically said: "Jonah, I'm gonna run around you."

What happened instead was Jonah running around and over players in an unforgettable performance.

Jonah, who late last year announced his intention to return to playing after his kidney condition forced him to stop in 2003, has signed a two-year contract to play for North Harbour in the NPC from August.

He will start training with the Harbour squad after his comeback match in a testimonial game for former England captain Martin Johnson at Twickenham tomorrow.

Jonah, generally regarded as the first superstar of rugby union's professional era, will be judged by the public on our perception of how well he measures up to the Jonah we knew and loved.

He will join NBA stars Sean Elliot and Alonzo Mourning as kidney transplant recipients and athletes who have made a return to the sports field.

Elliot, of the San Antonio Spurs, returned to the NBA in 2000, becoming the first professional sportsperson to resume a contact sport after a kidney transplant. His comeback lasted just one year as he battled continual muscle tears and ligament sprains, which his doctor attributed to the anti-rejection medication he was taking.

Mourning, the seven-time All-Star centre, ended his career with the New Jersey Nets after many years with the Miami Heat. He played only one year of his four-year, $22 million contract with the Nets after his kidney transplant.

In the future, Jonah will be a leader in the promotion of positive perceptions of kidney transplant recipients and it is worth noting that doctors have stated he is unlikely to suffer any negative side-effects from his anti-rejection medication when he makes his comeback.

If Jonah is unsuccessful on the rugby field, he could always compete in the World Transplant Games, which are held every two years and are open to recipients of a functioning life-saving solid organ or tissue transplant.

The mission of the World Transplant Games is to promote the importance of organ donation and the success of transplantation by demonstrating athletic excellence in the area of sport and competition.

The first "Transplant Olympics" was organised by British transplant surgeon Maurice Slapak, and was held in Portsmouth, England, in 1978.

So, what can and should we expect of Jonah?

His game was always one of pure power; and straight running into and over anyone foolish enough to get in his way. At the peak of his powers, he regularly required more than three players to stop him and he would usually retain possession.

Jonah has already succeeded on many levels and his amazing feats have been etched into the memories of rugby fans all over theworld.

So, whatever the outcome of his performance on the field, his performance off the field can be counted a resounding success.

I look forward, as do many of us, to cheering for Jonah and wishing him an outcome befitting the occasion.

Long may his motivation to succeed on the rugby field and in life continue.

* Louisa Wall is a former New Zealand netball and rugby representative