Former All Black superstar Jonah Lomu has made his return to rugby union, playing for French Third Divsion side Marseille-Vitrolles in their 63-18 romp over Montmelian.
The 34-year-old - who exploded onto the international stage at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa only for a kidney illness which required a transplant to halt his progress - failed to score and admitted certain language difficulties had hindered his ability to contribute.
Lomu may not have scored but his impact on the club was evident from the fact that match attracted a record crowd of 2,500 spectators.
Club president Claude Atcher revealed that Lomu had not been able to relax ahead of his much-awaited comeback which saw the match attended by as many as 15 photographers and was shown live on cable television.
Lomu says the game was just the beginning of what he hopes will be several pleasurable years in Marseille.
