All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu dies at 40

Wellington

JONAH Lomu, the New Zealand rugby player whose World Cup try-scoring feats helped promote the game to a global audience, has died at the age of 40.

Lomu, who played 73 times for the All Blacks and scored 43 tries in a career stretching from 1994 to 2002, died unexpectedly in Auckland on Wednesday, New Zealand Rugby said in a statement. His career was cut short by kidney disease.

"We are all shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden death of Jonah Lomu," New Zealand Rugby chief executive officer Steve Tew said. "We're lost for words and our heartfelt sympathies go out…