Jonah Lomu was an international rugby union winger who played for New Zealand between 1994 and 2002. He scored a total of 37 tries in 63 international appearances, which makes him the sixth highest try scorer for New Zealand and the eighteenth highest on the all-time list. Lomu held alone the record for the most tries scored in the Rugby World Cup (15 in 11 matches at the 1995 and 1999 tournaments), until South Africa's Bryan Habana equalled his tally at the 2015 tournament.
Lomu made his debut for New Zealand in June 1994 against France. He scored his first international try in his third appearance, scoring twice against Ireland in New Zealand's opening game of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. This was followed with a try against Scotland in the quarter-finals and four tries against England in the semi-finals—the most Lomu would score in a single match. He was, however, unable to score a try in the final, as South Africa beat New Zealand to win the trophy. Lomu played 13 times against South Africa during his career, but failed to score a try against them. The only other "Tier 1" national team against which Lomu did not score a try was Wales. Lomu finished 1995 with 12 international tries, his highest tally in a single year.
After two tries in 1996, including one in the inaugural Tri Nations Series, Lomu was unable to score in three appearances during 1997. At the 1999 Rugby World Cup, he scored in each of New Zealand's group stage matches against Tonga, England and Italy. He followed this with a try against Scotland in the quarter-finals and two tries in the semi-finals, as New Zealand lost to France. Lomu's tally of eight tries in this tournament is a World Cup record, although it has since been equalled by Habana in the 2007 tournament and Lomu's countryman Julian Savea in the 2015 tournament.
Lomu scored four tries in 2000, including a hat-trick against Scotland at Carisbrook and a try against Australia in the Tri Nations. This was followed by five tries in 2001, once again with a try against Australia in the Tri Nations. Lomu's final international tries came in November 2002, when he scored twice against England at Twickenham. Two weeks later, he made his last international appearance against Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Lomu retired from professional rugby in 2007 due to a chronic kidney disorder. After suffering a heart attack on 18 November 2015 that was associated with his kidney condition, Lomu died at the age of 40.
International tries In the Score column, New Zealand's score is given first. + International tries scored by Jonah Lomu Try Date Opposing team Score Competition Venue Location 1 43–19 Rugby World Cup Ellis Park Johannesburg 2 3 48–30 Rugby World Cup Loftus Versfeld Pretoria 4 45–29 Rugby World Cup NewlandsCape Town 5 6 7 8 28–16 Bledisloe Cup Eden Park Auckland 9 34–23 Bledisloe Cup Sydney Football Stadium Sydney 10 70–6 Test match Stadio Renato Dall'Ara Bologna 11 12 37–12 Test match Parc des Princes Paris 13 62–31 Test match Carisbrook Dunedin 14 43–6 Tri Nations Athletic Park Wellington 15 64–22 Test match Carisbrook Dunedin 16 23–27 Tri Nations Lancaster Park Christchurch 17 71–13 Test match North Harbour Stadium North Shore City 18 45–9 Rugby World Cup Ashton Gate Bristol 19 20 30–16 Rugby World Cup Twickenham London 21 101–3 Rugby World Cup Galpharm Stadium Huddersfield 2223 30–18 Rugby World Cup Murrayfield Edinburgh 24 31–43 Rugby World Cup Twickenham London 25 26 69–20 Test match Carisbrook Dunedin 27 28 29 39–35 Tri Nations Stadium Australia Sydney 30 37–12 Dave Gallaher Trophy WestpacTrust Stadium Wellington 31 15–23 Tri Nations Carisbrook Dunedin 32 40–29 Test match Lansdowne Road Dublin 33 37–6Test match Murrayfield Edinburgh 34 24–20 Test match El Monumental Buenos Aires 35 64–10 Test match Waikato Stadium Hamilton 36 28–31 Test match Twickenham London 37
References