|
 |
 | | | You are in: Rugby Union: International |
|
| | Wednesday, 10 July, 2002, 12:12 GMT 13:12 UK Lomu needs All Black comeback Lomu (No 11) has been dumped by the All Black selectors Jonah Lomu's omission from the All Blacks squad for their Tri-Nations opener against Australia has left a huge gap in the New Zealand back line - in more ways than one. The mighty wing's reputation was so formidable that a few years ago, any coach who made such a decision would have been locked up in an asylum. So what has changed? Is his absence evidence of unprecedented All Black strength in depth in rugby? Is it the fall from grace of a once great star? Or even a case of coach John Mitchell feasting on his own power?
Perhaps, as is often the case, a little touch of all three. Certainly Lomu will have raised one of his distinctively-shaved eyebrows after hearing of the decision. Indeed, after he utterly destroyed England in the 1995 World Cup semi-final it seemed the All Blacks would be more likely to drop the 14 other members of the team than him. It was one of the most impressive individual performances ever seen in a team game. After that, Lomu was in the rare position of being able to walk into the ultra-competitive New Zealand side as easily as he bulldozed through opposition forwards. An enforced absence caused by a serious kidney disorder was the only thing which halted his momentum. Since then, he has worked impressively hard to regain his fitness and few opponents relish the sight of him, wild-eyed, performing the haka in front of them.
And several high-profile names, including former All Black coach Laurie Mains, have said dropping Lomu is mistake. But there have been grumblings from some quarters that he had become as much a liability as a blessing. Some saw his battering-ram qualities as predictable, and out of step with the All Blacks' attempts to play an expansive game through Christian Cullen and wings Doug Howlett and Caleb Ralph. And others dared to suggest that his handling was simply not international class. Whatever the thinking, the simple answer is that coach Mitchell feels he now has the players to make up for the Lomu-sized gap in their back line. He is the first New Zealand coach to do so since Lomu exploded on the scene in 1994 - and it is an ominous indication to the rest of the world that there is real strength in depth for the All Blacks. One thing that is certain is that the decision to drop him really will have serious consequences on the other side of the world. Lomu's absence for New Zealand could yet free him up for the Commonwealth Games sevens tournament in Manchester. And no matter how hurt or out of form Lomu is - he would be hungry to announce his return to the world stage. It is a challenge the opposition will not relish. | |
See also:  05 Jul 02 | International 29 Jun 02 | International 22 Jun 02 | International Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top International stories now: Links to more International stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|  | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|  E-mail this story to a friend |
| |
| Links to more International stories |
| | | ||
 | ||||
 | | Back to top
| ||
| ------------------------------------------------------------ BBC News >> | BBC Weather >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © MMIII | News Sources | Privacy |
