HE IS the legend whose name is synonymous with the Rugby World Cup.
On the opening weekend of the current tournament, All Black Jonah Lomu dropped in to spend time with poorly youngsters at a Hampshire children’s hospice.
The star, who won 63 caps and was the youngest player ever to play for New Zealand , visited Naomi House in Sutton Scotney as part of his Unstoppable Tour.
Jonah, who scored four tries as his country beat England 45-29 in the 1995 Rugby World Cup semi-final, toured the newly refurbished hospice’s hydrotherapy pool, bedrooms, gardens and bereavement suite and met children like Toby Dobson and his parents, Lyndsay and Alistair, from Chandler’s Ford.
Toby stays at Naomi House for respite care and has a range of complex conditions.
After meeting the Rugby World Cup’s highest try scorer, Lyndsay said : “For Jonah Lomu to visit Naomi House & Jacksplace so soon after the new hospice’s official unveiling has been absolutely fantastic. Toby’s dad is a huge rugby fan so this was a real treat for him.”
Jonah, who had a kidney transplant in 2004, said: “I thought it was an amazing place and a charity with a really nice feel to it. It was an absolute pleasure to meet the children and families and staff that make use of the facilities. As a father myself and with the odd health complication of my own I fully understand how important a place like Naomi House and Jacksplace is for the community.”
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