MANGERE – After sharing their grief with an entire nation for almost two weeks, All Black Jonah Lomu’s family said their last goodbyes at a private funeral for the rugby legend in Auckland on Tuesday.

Emotions ran high at the service filled to the brim with almost 1000 people turning up to honour the rugby great, including the Prince of Tonga.

The final formal service to honour Lomu’s life was held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s meeting house in Mangere, South Auckland.

Lomu’s two boys Brayley, 6 and Dhyreille, 5, helped open the service. They were accompanied by mum Nadene Lomu at the altar, where they sang a duet, I am a child of God, dedicated to their father.

The song’s lyrics: “family can be together forever”, were also touched upon by president of the Mt Roskill Latter-day Saint’s church Anthony Wilson, who promised Nadene and her sons they would not be alone.

Both boys were proudly wearing T-shirts with silver ferns on the front and Lomu’s No. 11 on the back, though Braylee’s was covered up by a black formal blazer.

They later helped push their father’s coffin into a hearse, before sitting alongside it and waving to mourners as the vehicle drove away to a burial ground.

The boys have attended all of the formal memorial services for their dad and wore their No. 11 jerseys at the other services.

Jonah’s brother John Lomu spoke of how much he would be missed.

“You have touched the hearts of many people around the world. But no one will know the pain of a brother or a sister.”

He continued on to read a poem dedicated to his brother, joking: “I do read sometimes”.

Wilson spoke of how full a life Jonah had lived, and how much love he had had for his family.

“It is now time for us to pick up the baton and move forward”, he said.

Wilson acknowledged that the time going forward from here would be difficult for Nadene and the boys, as the quiet period set in.

A choir led the audience into a closing song, before Jonah’s casket was carried out of the church by a group of suit-clad friends and family, followed by a stream of young and old family and friends.

Many were fighting back tears as they walked, with their arms locked around each other for support.

The procession was followed by family and friends carrying the bouquets of white flowers and a family portrait.

The Lomu family was greeted by Prince Ata, the Prince of Tonga.

This is the only memorial service Prince Ata had flown over for, to honour the life of Tongan-born Lomu.

The service was live-streamed to four of the church’s meeting houses in Mt Roskill, North Shore, South Auckland and Massey.

“It’s bringing to the end a great celebration, the final stage of the journey for Jonah and his family,” said former All Blacks coach John Hart, who has been acting as a spokesman for relatives since Lomu’s shock death on November 18.

“Today it is my privilege to speak on behalf of Jonah’s family. The family would like to thank the thousands of people, at home and abroad, for their kind messages.”

“Jonah, you were many things to many people. You were a freak on the field and a gentle giant off it. But most of all – you were a lovely, lovely man.

“To the world you will be known as the All Black who made No 11 his own. Rest in peace, my friend.”

Since Lomu died, tributes have poured in from across the rugby world, with many current players recalling how he inspired them to take up the game.

Such was his fame that condolences also came from beyond the sport – including Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, British footballer David Beckham, Hollywood star Morgan Freeman and singer Elton John.

- AFP