Former Scotland winger Craig Joiner has paid tribute to the 'unstoppable' Jonah Lomu following the New Zealand legend's death aged just 40 on Wednesday.

The former All Blacks winger passed away unexpectedly in Auckland following his return from the UK, where he was involved in the recent Rugby World Cup.

A host of sporting stars have paid tribute to Lomu, and Joiner has added his voice to those hailing the World Cup's joint all-time leading try-scorer as one of rugby's pioneering players.

"Everywhere he appeared on the pitch Jonah was a menace because people were just not used to playing against someone of that size. If he wanted to hand-off or run over a second-row forward, he had the power to do it. He was devastating on the wing and there was not a lot teams could do to stop him when he was on form," he told PA.

"He broke the mould. Not only was he so powerful, but he was light on his feet with an ability to change direction quickly and that's what caught people off guard. For a big man it was unbelievable just how fast he was. You have to say that he changed rugby. If you rolled on two or three years from 1995, wingers like him were commonplace, when before they really weren't.

"All of a sudden wingers were coming inside to run crash balls because he had shown how it could be done. It really is very sad what has happened to him at such a young age."

Joiner came up against Lomu in the quarter-finals of the 1995 World Cup, with the New Zealander scoring a try before a career-defining display against England in the last four.