Former Jonah Lomu manager Phil Kingsley-Jones passes away

Phil Kingsley-Jones, Jonah Lomu’s former manager and the man famous for keeping the late All Blacks from leaving rugby for the league, has died.

A relative of the 72-year-old Welshman confirmed to the Herald that he was “recovering at home” after a fall five months ago.

Kingsley-Jones was Lomu’s manager for 10 years until 2004, when the All Black’s ex-wife, Fiona, took over his management.

Without him, Lomu could have developed his career in the Australian league.

Kingsley-Jones, born in Wales, had arrived in New Zealand in 1983, driving a truck during the week, supporting a rugby scrum for Mt Wellington on Saturday afternoons and working as a comedian on Saturday nights.

At the height of his showbiz success in the 1990s, he sold out tickets for shows when on stage with former All Black Stu Wilson, and the duo published five best-selling books.

Kingsley-Jones began working with the Counties-Manukau Rugby Union in 1989, and first crossed paths with Lomu when the already huge South Auckland teenager was at Wesley College.

In 1994, a year before rugby turned professional, Lomu was offered a $ 300,000-a-year contract to play for the Canterbury Bulldogs league in Sydney. Abandoned by the All Blacks after two tests against France in ’94, and disillusioned with rugby, Lomu decided to sign with the Bulldogs and asked Kingsley-Jones to draft a formal contract to lead it.

At the time, Kingsley-Jones said he would coach Lomu, but on one crucial condition: he had to stick with rugby and when he regains his place in the All Blacks, he must give Kingsley-Jones the jersey he wears.

And so it was that Kingsley-Jones would receive a ’95 World Cup jersey from Lomu, and Lomu would be the key to a $ 555 million television contract for Southern Hemisphere rugby.

Kingsley-Jones worked at Counties Manukau Rugby for 15 years during two terms of 1989-1996 and 2009-2017.

During that time, he served as the club’s coordinator of coaches, director of coaches, development team coach, youth representative team coach, sponsorship and business development manager.

He was named a union ambassador for life, and the hall at Steelers Stadium, Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe, was named after him.

He also coached the Tonga national team, taking them on two tours to South Africa and the UK, which helped them qualify for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Former Steelers and Maori captain Errol Brain, who knew Phil closely, said: “This is a truly sad day for Manukau counties and rugby.

“Phil would be one of the few people who could walk into any rugby club in the world and meet someone who wanted to buy him a beer. His larger-than-life personality, sharp brain, and ability to think outside the square were a great gift.

“What he did for Jonah Lomu was groundbreaking. He was the pioneer that made Jonah the world’s first rugby superstar, while keeping him connected to what was important, which was our region. Such was the impact that many of young people who come today still admire him and are aware of the legacy of Jonah. “