Jonah Lomu

“Each haka has its own interpretation, but you have to make sure you are in unison with your team-mates; the haka should be a proper war cry.”

“I am very excited to be here in Wales and look forward to putting on the Cardiff Blues shirt.”

“Towards the end of 2003 it was hard to get through training - and the darkest point was when a doctor told me there was a possibility I could end up in a wheelchair.”

“I was on dialysis for 18 months before the transplant, so it was important I tried to look ahead to days like my comeback this Saturday. You need those big goals to drive you on.”

“I thought about dying whenever I got bad news about other people.”

“It annoys me when people who don't know what they're talking about boo the referee.”

“I have a stab wound on my left hip and one on my thigh and a slash mark across my right calf. I have a bottle stab wound on my left calf.”

“How do I take a step? How do I lift my foot off the ground, move it through the air a little bit and then bring it down? I had to teach myself to walk again.”

“The biggest thing for me is just to get out on that field. Just to do that will be incredible.”

“I was diagnosed with the illness right before the 1995 World Cup.”

“It was in 2003 that I realised there was no choice but to have dialysis treatment - by the time of the World Cup that year, I could barely walk. A year later, I finally had a kidney transplant.”

“I was only operating at about 80% of my capacity.”

“It's a really exciting time to be involved in Welsh rugby.”

“I always say to people that you have never seen the best of me, and that's what I mean - I've never been fully fit.”

“Looking back, my whole life seems so surreal. I didn't just turn up on the doorstep playing rugby; I had to go through a whole lot of things to get there.”

“It's been a long road back to health and fitness for me. I am just glad to have been given the opportunity to do what I love most.”

“Until 1998, I worked in marketing at ASB bank. I loved it.”

“It was like falling off a building and suddenly, bang, you hit the bottom. The first time it happened was on an ordinary day at home. I was taking down some curtains. I took one step, turned around, took another step and then I fell and hit my head hard on the rowing machine.”

“I was this guy who'd been racing around down there, on that field in 1999, running straight over people, scoring tries, winning games, having fun. And I ended up so sick I couldn't even run past a little baby.”

“When I was playing I felt tired all the time. My recovery period was a lot longer than the other players. They'd be ok after an hour - I'd have to stay in bed till the next session.”