Lomu, who scored 37 tries in 63 test appearances for New Zealand between 1994 and 2002, had a first organ transplant eight years ago but that kidney stopped functioning in October last year.

The former winger was taken to hospital in Auckland during the World Cup in New Zealand last September and in an interview New Zealand Woman’s Weekly that he had recently been undergoing dialysis for 21 hours each week.     

“We were hoping to see some improvement but nothing has made any difference, so the next step is to try to find a donor,” Lomu said.     

Combining the size and power of a forward with the speed of a winger, Lomu was a try-scoring phenomenon during his heyday and the first rugby player to gain a genuine global profile.     

He was diagnosed with the serious kidney disorder nephrotic syndrome in 1995 and underwent his first organ transplant in 2004.