One of the most skilful forwards to have played for the All Blacks and one of the most versatile and durable. He entered first-class rugby in 1986 as Murray Zinzan Brooke but changed his names by deed poll to take family history into account. Brooke, who was educated at Mahurangi College, impressed with the national Colts side but it was playing for the New Zealand sevens team in 1987 that established his reputation as a player with the build of a forward but the skills and flair of a back. He was chosen for the 1987 World Cup squad after the unavailability because of injury of Mike Brewer and played in the pool match against Argentina on the openside flank, scoring the first of his 41 tries for New Zealand.
Brooke toured Japan at the end of 1987 and Australia in 1988 but didn't play another test until 1989 when he replaced Michael Jones - as he'd done in his first test, against Argentina at Athletic Park. He was then seen as the deputy to captain Wayne Shelford at No 8 and when Shelford was dropped after the two-test series against Scotland in 1990, Brooke took over. His test appearances continued to be spasmodic, however, partly because of injury and partly because of the caprices of selectors. It was only relatively late in his career that he became the regular first-choice No 8 after being played on occasions there or either of the flanker positions.
He played in five of the matches in the 1991 World Cup and four in the 1995 cup, during which he kicked a dropped goal against England, the first of three in tests.
Brooke became Auckland captain after Sean Fitzpatrick was made captian of the All Blacks and he also led the Auckland Blues in the first two years of the Super 12, winning the title both years.
For all Brooke's standing in rugby, he also had a touch of wanderlust and evidently signed a contract with the Sydney league club, Manly, before changing his mind and later was on the verge of going to play in Japan before commercial deals were struck to keep him in New Zealand. Brooke signed with the London club, Harlequins, during 1997 and the All Blacks' tour of Britain and Ireland in November and December was his swansong.
Brooke received the ultimate compliment from All Black coach John Hart when he said there would never be another player like him.
His 17 tries in tests were a world record for a forward. Many of his more than 150 tries in his first-class career came from pushover tries at the base of the dominant Auckland pack, but the nature of the tries don't detract from the skill and competitiveness of one of the All Black giants of the 1990s, and one to live with the giants of the past.
Brooke's biography, Zinny (Rugby Publishing, 1995), as written in collaboration with Alex Veysey.
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FULL NAME |
Zinzan Valentine Brooke |
BORN |
Sunday, 14 February 1965 in Waiuku |
AGE |
45 |
PHYSICAL |
1.90m, 99kg |
POSITION |
Loose Forward |
LAST SCHOOL |
Mahurangi College |
RUGBY CLUB
(First made All Blacks from) |
Auckland Marist |
PROVINCE |
Auckland |
ALL BLACK DEBUT |
Monday, 1 June 1987
v Argentina at Wellington
aged 22 years, 107 days |
INTERNATIONAL DEBUT |
Monday, 1 June 1987
v Argentina at Wellington
aged 22 years, 107 days |
LAST TEST |
Saturday, 6 December 1997
v England at London
aged 32 years, 295 days |
ALL BLACK TESTS |
58 (0 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK GAMES |
42 (5 as Captain) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK MATCHES |
100 (5 as Captain) |
ALL BLACK TEST POINTS |
89pts (17t, 0c, 0p, 3dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK GAME POINTS |
106pts (25t, 0c, 0p, 0dg, 0m) |
TOTAL ALL BLACK POINTS |
195pts (42t, 0c, 0p, 3dg, 0m) |
ALL BLACK NUMBER |
883 |
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The All Black Games that Brooke played.
(+) = substitute; (-) = replaced |
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Click on the date to be taken to the Match Card |
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1987 |
1 Jun vs Argentina at Wellington 46-15 |
25 Oct vs Japan at Osaka 74-0 |
1 Nov vs Japan at Tokyo 106-4 |
1988 |
19 Jun vs Western Australia at Perth 60-3 |
29 Jun vs N.S.W. Country at Singleton 29-4 |
6 Jul vs A.C.T. at Queanbeyan 16-3 |
10 Jul vs Queensland at Brisbane 27-12 |
13 Jul vs Queensland B at Townsville 39-3 |
20 Jul vs N.S.W. B at Gosford 45-9 |
23 Jul vs N.S.W. at Sydney 42-6 (+) |
26 Jul vs Victorian Invitation XV at Melbourne 84-8 (-) |
1989 |
29 Jul vs Argentina at Wellington 49-12 (+) |
8 Oct vs British Columbia at Vancouver 48-3 |
18 Oct vs Pontypool at Pontypool 47-6 |
25 Oct vs Neath at Neath 26-15 |
31 Oct vs Newport at Newport 54-9 |
8 Nov vs Leinster at Dublin 36-9 |
11 Nov vs Munster at Cork 31-9 (-) |
21 Nov vs Ulster at Belfast 21-3 |
25 Nov vs Barbarians at London 21-10 (+) |
1990 |
21 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 21-6 |
4 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 27-17 (-) |
18 Aug vs Australia at Wellington 9-21 |
20 Oct vs Languedoc Selection at Narbonne 22-6 |
27 Oct vs French Barbarians at Agen 23-13 |
3 Nov vs France at Nantes 24-3 (+) |
6 Nov vs A French XV at La Rochelle 22-15 |
1991 |
15 Jun vs Rosario at Rosario 81-9 |
19 Jun vs Cordoba at Cordoba 38-9 (+) |
22 Jun vs Buenos Aires at Buenos Aires 37-9 |
29 Jun vs Argentina 'B' at Buenos Aires 22-6 |
9 Jul vs Mar del Plata at Mar del Plata 48-6 |
13 Jul vs Argentina at Buenos Aires 36-6 |
10 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 12-21 |
24 Aug vs Australia at Auckland 6-3 |
3 Oct vs England at London 18-12 (-) |
13 Oct vs Italy at Leicester 31-21 |
20 Oct vs Canada at Lille 29-13 |
27 Oct vs Australia at Dublin 6-16 |
30 Oct vs Scotland at Cardiff 13-6 |
1992 |
24 Jun vs South Australian Invitation XV at Adelaide 48-18 |
1 Jul vs A.C.T. at Canberra 45-13 |
8 Jul vs Victorian Invitation XV at Melbourne 53-3 (Captain) |
12 Jul vs Queensland at Brisbane 26-19 |
19 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 17-19 |
25 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 26-23 |
1 Aug vs Natal at Durban 43-25 |
8 Aug vs Junior South Africa at Pretoria 25-10 |
10 Aug vs Central Unions at Witbank 39-6 (+) |
15 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 27-24 |
1993 |
12 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Christchurch 20-18 |
26 Jun vs British & Irish Lions at Wellington 7-20 |
3 Jul vs British & Irish Lions at Auckland 30-13 (+) |
31 Jul vs Samoa at Auckland 35-13 (+) |
23 Oct vs London & SE Division at London 39-12 (+) |
26 Oct vs Midlands at Leicester 12-6 (Captain) |
30 Oct vs England South West at Redruth 19-15 (+) |
2 Nov vs England North at Liverpool 27-21 (Captain) |
7 Nov vs England 'A' at Gateshead 26-12 |
10 Nov vs South of Scotland at Galashiels 84-5 (Captain) |
20 Nov vs Scotland at Edinburgh 51-15 |
27 Nov vs England at London 9-15 |
4 Dec vs Barbarians at Cardiff 25-12 |
1994 |
3 Jul vs France at Auckland 20-23 (-) |
9 Jul vs South Africa at Dunedin 22-14 |
23 Jul vs South Africa at Wellington 13-9 |
6 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 18-18 |
17 Aug vs Australia at Sydney 16-20 |
1995 |
4 Jun vs Japan at Bloemfontein 145-17 |
11 Jun vs Scotland at Pretoria 48-30 |
18 Jun vs England at Cape Town 45-29 (-) |
24 Jun vs South Africa at Johannesburg 12-15 |
22 Jul vs Australia at Auckland 28-16 (-) |
29 Jul vs Australia at Sydney 34-23 |
28 Oct vs Italy at Bologna 70-6 |
1 Nov vs French Barbarians at Toulon 34-19 (Captain) |
11 Nov vs France at Toulouse 15-22 |
18 Nov vs France at Paris 37-12 |
1996 |
7 Jun vs Samoa at Napier 51-10 |
15 Jun vs Scotland at Dunedin 62-31 |
22 Jun vs Scotland at Auckland 36-12 |
6 Jul vs Australia at Wellington 43-6 |
20 Jul vs South Africa at Christchurch 15-11 |
27 Jul vs Australia at Brisbane 32-25 |
10 Aug vs South Africa at Cape Town 29-18 |
17 Aug vs South Africa at Durban 23-19 |
24 Aug vs South Africa at Pretoria 33-26 |
31 Aug vs South Africa at Johannesburg 22-32 |
1997 |
21 Jun vs Argentina at Wellington 93-8 |
28 Jun vs Argentina at Hamilton 62-10 |
5 Jul vs Australia at Christchurch 30-13 (-) |
19 Jul vs South Africa at Johannesburg 35-32 |
26 Jul vs Australia at Melbourne 33-18 |
9 Aug vs South Africa at Auckland 55-35 |
16 Aug vs Australia at Dunedin 36-24 |
8 Nov vs Llanelli at Llanelli 81-3 (+) |
15 Nov vs Ireland at Dublin 63-15 |
22 Nov vs England at Manchester 25-8 (-) |
29 Nov vs Wales at London 42-7 |
6 Dec vs England at London 26-26 |
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