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Lomu set for French club debut

Toulon - Former All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu on Saturday watched from the tunnel as his French third division side Marseille Vitrolles lost to La Seyne, but the club hinted he may make his long-awaited debut next Sunday against Mazamet.

"He is dying to start. But we will agree on the date mutually. You have to do things as professionally as possible, let him get his feet under the table and recuperate," coach Alain Hyardet explained.

Lomu arrived on Tuesday but the 34-year-old, who exploded onto the international stage at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa only for a kidney illness which required a 2004 transplant to halt his progress, is not match fit.

In July, Lomu, who won 63 caps for his country and had a season with Cardiff in 2005-2006 before returning home to North Harbour, said he was looking forward to passing on his know-how to young players at Marseille, where he intended to stay "for a few years."

His presence at La Seyne, who play on the outskirts of the southern city of Toulon, helped to bolster Saturday's crowd to a healthy 8,600 and prop Rudy Cheron says the Kiwi has already made a difference.

"The Lomu effect at Marseille Vitrolles is a bit like the (Tana) Umaga effect at Toulon (in 2006-2007). Since he's been here everyone is more involved and concentrated on training. He has a real influence on the whole group," said Cheron.

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