AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- New Zealand All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu, who died at age 40, was laid to rest Tuesday after a memorial service in an Auckland rugby stadium.
The private service at a Mormon church in his hometown of Mangere, a suburb of Auckland, was preceded by an emotional scene at Eden Park National Stadium, the spiritual home of New Zealand rugby. Thousands attended the stadium service, where the haka, a traditional Maori war dance adopted by the country's rugby fans as a pre-game ritual, was performed in Lomu's honor as his casket entered the stadium.