Jonah Lomu’s son chooses Six Nations nation over the All Blacks

Friday, 04 September 2026 at 07:45

byRugby Rucker

The sons of All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu once made it clear they would rather represent France than New Zealand – but their sporting ambitions have since taken them away from rugby altogether.

Brayley and Dhyreille Lomu are the sons of arguably rugby’s first global superstar, who scored 37 tries in 63 Tests for New Zealand and became an icon of the sport during the 1990s.

But despite growing up in Auckland and carrying one of the most famous surnames in All Blacks history, the brothers once revealed that their international allegiance would lie elsewhere.

Join RUCK’s Instagram broadcast channel
and get the latest rugby news straight to your phone.

“We want to play for France”

The comments came in 2017 when Brayley and Dhyreille travelled to France as part of the country's successful bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

During a visit to the French national team's training base at Marcoussis, the brothers were asked whether they could see themselves becoming future All Blacks.

Their answer was emphatic.

“No, we want to play for France.”

There is a strong family connection with the country.

Dhyreille was born in Marseille during Jonah's spell with Marseille Vitrolles in 2009/10, while their mother Nadene described France as the family's “second home”.

She said at the time: “Dhyreille was born in Marseille. He tells everyone that he is French. Jonah loved this country and we feel good here.”

The brothers subsequently appeared in London to support France's successful bid for the 2023 World Cup.

Rugby dream replaced by tennis

However, the prospect of another Lomu tearing down the wing at international level has faded considerably.

Both brothers have instead thrown themselves into tennis, with the pair restructuring their education to give themselves more time to train.

Their grandfather, Mervyn Quirk, has played a major role in coaching them, with the family travelling around Auckland in search of court time.

Dhyreille previously explained just how seriously they were taking the sport.

“Professional sport is hard, but playing tennis is our life.”

He revealed that training could dominate virtually his entire day, depending on court availability.

“I can be playing tennis from 9am until about 7.30pm.”

And his ambition couldn't be much higher:

“My dream is to become a number one professional tennis player in the world.”

The brothers had already chosen tennis over rugby several years earlier, with Dhyreille revealing an emotional reason for wanting to create his own sporting legacy rather than attempting to emulate his father.

“Dad will always be the best and I thought to maybe give something else a try cause I’ll never be better than him.”

Brayley has similarly spoken about the dedication required to reach the top, saying: “To be the best tennis player in the world you should put in effort and always try hard.”

Six hours on court

That commitment has continued as the brothers have grown older.

A 2025 report from France described tennis as effectively their entire sporting lives, with Brayley explaining that they continued their schooling remotely to accommodate their training.

“We follow our schooling by correspondence so we can live according to the rhythm of tennis.”

On good days, he added, the brothers could spend six hours on court.

So while Jonah Lomu's sons once appeared destined to create a fascinating international tug-of-war between the All Blacks and France, another Lomu Test career currently looks unlikely.

Instead, Brayley and Dhyreille are attempting to build a sporting story of their own – swapping the rugby ball that made their father famous for a tennis racket.