Andrew Mehrtens says he would have liked to have known more about Jonah Lomu’s health condition to help the giant wing through some of his struggles in the All Blacks.
Lomu’s battle with a serious kidney disorder was kept secret from his team-mates. Mehrtens said it was only in 1997 or 1998 that they became aware of the serious nature of Lomu’s health problems.
“Sean Fitzpatrick [New Zealand captain] may have been aware, but they – the leadership team – obviously didn’t want his health battles to be a focal point or a consideration for everyone,” Mehrtens said in an interview with Foxsports.com.au.
Points machine Mehrtens came into the All Blacks a year after Lomu but both starred at the 1995 World Cup and went on to play lengthy test careers together.
“You look back and I would have liked to have known,” Mehrtens said of Lomu playing while being disadvantaged by his nephrotic syndrome that eventually saw him need a kidney transplant.
“You go through thick and thin with guys as team-mates and if someone’s going through a tough time, you want to group around it and support whoever it is as much as you can and have an understanding of what he’s going through.
“These days the support network in the team would be more up for giving him help. I feel sad that we couldn’t at the time but it was a different context. The overwhelming feeling is one of sadness that we couldn’t get out and help him.”
Mehrtens said that on reflection, Lomu’s illness could explain some of his training struggles, that included him being “very, very slow” at 3km fitness tests.
“We’d get out and help and run the last lap with him … there was no lack of respect for Jonah,” Mehrtens said