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Joe Cokanasiga opens up about bold 'Lomu' tag
Blockbusting England wing Joe Cokanasiga has responded to calls that he shapes as the next Jonah Lomu after a dominant performance against Australia two weeks ago.
The 21-year-old has scored two tries in his first two tests, including a memorable run over the top of Wallabies opposite Dane Haylett-Petty.
https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/status/1067463300571688960
At 1.93m tall and 118kg Cokanasiga almost matches the late Lomu for size, with his blistering speed aiding the flattering comparison.
Fijian-born Cokanasiga has previously cited Lomu and former All Black Julian Savea as sources of inspiration.
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He recently opened up to The Times the comparisons to Lomu that he had drawn, saying it’s “hard because a lot of pressure comes with it”.
“Lomu was one of the greatest players of the game and I’m definitely nowhere near that. The game has changed too. You can’t do what he did, the way he manhandled people, because lots of wings are bigger than me now.
“For me it’s about being smart rather than relying on size. Eddie [Jones] said Lomu nearly won a World Cup and, right now, I’m nowhere near that.”
England head coach Eddie Jones also dismissed Cokanasiga’s Lomu label, telling media the young winger is still wearing “training pants”.
“I tell you what Lomu did,” Jones added. “He nearly won a World Cup for New Zealand. When Joe nearly wins a World Cup for us he won’t be good enough because he has to win a World Cup for us.
“Then you can start talking about Lomu.”
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