JONAH Lomu ‘changed rugby’ says former England flanker Steve Ojomoh as he pays his respects following the sudden death of the New Zealand star.

Lomu, 40, died on Wednesday at home in Auckland after losing his battle with a rare kidney condition he was diagnosed with back in 1996.

Ojomoh – now Trowbridge RFC’s head coach - was on the bench on the day that Lomu ran in four tries during the 1995 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town and remembers the way the dressing room was left in the wake of Lomu’s performance.

“I was on the bench, which I think was probably the safest place on the pitch that day,” Ojomoh told the Wiltshire Times.

“It was one of the performances of the World Cup. When you think of ’95 you think of Nelson Mandela wearing the number six shirt and Jonah scoring four tries that destroyed us within 25 minutes.

“He was just unstoppable that day.

“I think it is one of those things where I will also remember after the game as well a lot of experienced players in the changing room were just shell-shocked.

“This was a once in a life-time player who transcended the sport.

“This was somebody that, you have got to remember at the time wingers were 13 ½ or 14 stone and we had a winger here who was six-foot-five, 18 ½ stone who could run the 100m in 10.8.

“Not only that, he had great ball skills and he could side step you as fast as he could run going forwards.

“I think the word ‘legend’ is used a lot with people and in his case he is what I call a true legend.

“People talk about ’95 but the truth of the matter is for me he was layer of the tournament in ’95 and ’99.

“I think the only thing he didn’t do was win the actual thing itself.”

Ojomoh knows that the sport has lost one of the pillars of the sport and believes it will take some time for the rugby world to come to terms with the loss.

“Rest assured, his place is there in history,” he added.

“I think you have got to go beyond just rugby union, I am talking about a global star.

“When you talk about football you talk about the Pele’s and the Maradonas of this world and Ali in boxing, Jonah has to be up there with these guys.

“Off the field, the guy was very humble and had time for everybody.

“He took the game global and that is why the game went professional.

“What he did in ’95 he took the game to that level where it was even more commercial.

“He will be a massive loss and the fact that he is so young as well.”