RUGBY IS MASSIVELY IN THE DEBT OF JONAH. HE GAVE RUGBY A WINDOW TO AN OUTSIDE WORLD

Whether Jonah Lomu ever came to terms with his fame is debatable, says Stephen Jones. But he changed rugby more than any other individual or any World Cup

- STEPHEN JONES Rugby's most outspoken and influential journalist

JONAH. WHERE did he spring from? And will we ever see his like again? I will always be incredibly grateful to be reporting from close up when he was terrifying every defender in the sport.

It had begun slowly. France won a momentous victory in the first Test of two in a series in New Zealand in 1994, and that gave them a minimum of a drawn series, which was some feat in those days. The All Blacks were typically fierce in the second Test and they were leading inside the final few minutes. When they kicked the ball down towards the France corner, there was absolutely no danger of a counter-attack.

Or so everyone thought. Philippe Saint-André set off in desperation through the initial ranks of the New Zealand chasers, and the glorious, once-in-a-lifetime move which developed, full of perfect decisions and sheer French flair, wound its way out to the right and then veered back infield. The move involved nine players in all and the final two or three passes from right to left sent Jean-Luc Sadourny over for the try.

It has always been known as "the try from the end of the world", such a beautiful label for beautiful rugby and a 2-0 series win for France.

Replays in the initial stages of that movement reveal Jonah Lomu, then a youngster still debating whether he was a back or a forward. Jonah was clearly a little bewildered as the move developed towards him; he had no idea who to tackle and made little contribution to the defensive effort. Some of us had vaguely heard that he could play a bit of sevens, but otherwise he was forgotten.

One year later brought the 1995 World Cup in South Africa.