15 Dec 2015

Lomu's situation a lesson for young players

5:21 pm on 15 December 2015

All Blacks great Jonah Lomu's dire financial situation when he died will serve as a lesson to young players to plan for their futures, administrators say.

Jonah Lomu in action RWC 1995

All Blacks great Jonah Lomu was credited with helping turn rugby into a professional sport. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Lomu died on 18 November aged 40, most likely from a blood clot following long-distance travel.

He had suffered kidney problems since 1995 - the year he burst onto the international stage with his blinding form in the Rugby World Cup, in a performance credited with helping to turn the sport professional.

But Lomu's failing health meant he did not reap the full benefits of that professionalism and it emerged today there was no money left in his estate for sons Brayley, six, and Dhyreille, five.

That has prompted the New Zealand Players' Association to set up the Jonah Lomu Legacy Trust for his sons; wife Nadene Lomu is excluded as a beneficiary and from having any control.

Hurricanes and Wellington Lions personal development manager Steve Symonds said much was done to help young players deal with the sudden fame and fortune that came with professional rugby, where a player earned about $100,000 for their first full contract season.

Jonah Lomu's widow Nadene and sons at the memorial service for the former All Black.

Nadene Lomu with the couple's sons at a public memorial service at Auckland's Eden Park. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski

Unions nationwide would look to the Lomu case as an example of the importance of planning for life after an often-short rugby career; the average player is professional for just four years, he said.

"I think there are a number of platforms where we'll continue to learn from Jonah. The skill, obviously.

"But also this, what his family are going through right now. We talk to the boys about these things constantly but there's nothing better than examples, both positive and learning examples, and I think Jonah will certainly be used here and in other franchises in both those areas as an example."

Life after rugby

New Zealand Players' Association chief executive Rob Nichol said nothing was in place for players in terms of educating them for life after rugby in the early days of professionalism.

However, the support offered now was outstanding, he said.

"We use players to talk to players, we use the experienced, credible, reputable athletes to talk to athletes and say 'hey, listen here, this is what I've learned during my career, this is some of the stuff you've really got to think about'."

However, nothing could change the fact these high-performing athletes, used to performing at the top of their sport, faced "forced redundancy" the day they were injured or no longer made the team.

The association in 2011 released a survey of 123 retired rugby players that found about a third had suffered depression, anxiety and stress. About a third also experienced problems due to the loss of identity/public profile.

Mr Nichol said such statistics showed the importance of players identifying what they could do when their playing days were over, and trying to find something they enjoyed.

"The theory being that if you enjoy doing something you might actually be quite good at it, [like] Richie McCaw and his flying."

Jonah Lomu in 2003.

Lomu's illness prevented him from working, New Zealand Players' Association chief executive Rob Nichol said. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Mr Nichol said Lomu's illness prevented him from working, and many people would have "assumed a situation that actually in reality probably wasn't the case" around his finances.

"There's absolutely no doubt about it, he had wonderful opportunities in life and had some real success early on and commercially, but I think in the last 15 years or so it's been a little bit more challenging than people really realise and that's what we're trying to explain.

"All we know is ... the family are not going to be in a position to rely on any financial benefits or proceeds, so we want to do something for his children and his legacy.

"His kids were what really counted for him. All he wanted ... was [to] be there when they turned 21."

Kelston Boys High School players pray in a huddle after winning the NZ secondary schools boys rugby final for the Barbarian Cup 24-14 against Wesley College at Rotorua Boys High School, Rotorua, New Zealand, Sunday 28 August 2011.

The New Zealand Rugby Union said young players were given financial advice as part of professional development. Photo: Photosport

High finance failure rates

Massey University school of management senior lecturer Trish Bradbury, who specialises in sports management, said the trust was an unusual move but reflected the respect people had for Lomu.

There were no New Zealand studies on how professional and top-level amateur athletes coped but overseas studies showed a high failure rate on their finances, she said.

Sports organisations had improved but many athletes found it a challenge to manage their finances and get back into the work force.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said it took the professional development of young players seriously, with financial advice and asset protection a mandatory part of a player's professional development programme.

No decision had been made on whether the union would donate to the trust, he said.