RUGBY legend Jonah Lomu, who passed away aged just 40 last week, was thinking about moving to the New Forest.

That's according to his friend, actress Maria Rice-Mundy from New Milton.

The former All Blacks wing, who died in his native New Zealand on November 18, was a childhood friend of Ms Rice-Mundy's ex-husband, Isi Tuival, who himself captained Tonga.

She is reported as saying: "[The Lomu family] obviously knew the area as we had introduced it to them. It was a better base than New Zealand in a way, as he travelled so much.

"We often invited him to our house over the years - our children called him Uncle Jonah."

Lomu had recently visited Ballard School in New Milton as well as the Naomi's House children's hospice in Sutton Scotney.

He had been in the UK for the recent Rugby World Cup, and died the day after returning home, following a short stop in Dubai.

It is thought he may have died due to a blood clot which formed during his flight home.

Daily Echo: File photo dated 27-05-1995 of New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu scores a try against Ireland in the Rugby World Cup match in South Africa PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Thursday September 3, 2015. New Zealand's Jonah Lomu in 1995 and South Africa's BryJonah Lomu during the 1995 Rugby World Cup

He played 63 times for the All Blacks, scoring 37 tries, between 1994 and 2002. He retired aged just 28 due to a rare kidney condition, and had a transplant in 2005.

He is the record try scorer in World Cups, along with South African winger Bryan Habana, who equalled his record last month.

A memorial service for Lomu will be held at New Zealand's national Eden Park Stadium on Monday.