Former Ireland captain Keith Wood has called Jonah Lomu the "first huge global iconic rugby player".

Wood was speaking to Newstalk Sport's Richie McCormack this morning following the news that Lomu passed away in Auckland last night.

The former All Black gained global prominence at the 1995 World Cup, and that is where Wood first came across him in a game in Johannesburg where Lomu scored two tries: "He was 19 years of age. He got capped the previous year, the same as myself... I remember sitting on the bench. There was this devastating display of speed and skill and power."

Wood said that Lomu's dominance in 1995 was unheard of at the time, as opponents did not know how to cope with the Auckland native: "It was a bit of a joke that this guy was just destroying the game."

Lomu's performance at that World Cup, despite not winning the tournament, is what he will be remembered for according to Wood, who added: "He absolutely catapulted the game onto the World stage."