Lomu comeback imminent

JONAH LOMU yesterday took a step closer to his return to action after being named in the Wellington Lions squad for the New Zealand provincial championships.

Since May the giant All Blacks wing has had to undergo a four-hour dialysis session every two days because of a long-standing kidney problem, but he has not given up hope of playing in the World Cup.

Wellington coach John Plumtree said: “If Jonah feels well, he will play. It’s up to Jonah to tell me if he is ready or not.”

Lomu came to prominence in 1995 with eight tries in New Zealand’s run to the World Cup final where they were beaten by the Springboks. In 1999 he was top try-scorer when beaten by France in the semi-finals.

The winger spoke of his training session on his website, www.jonahlomu.com.

“You have no idea how exciting that is for me, I feel like a child at Christmas,” he said.