An Evening with Zinzan Brooke

Zinzan Brooke Career Background

Zinzan Brooke is a former New Zealand rugby union player renowned for his role at number eight.

Brooke earned 58 test caps for New Zealand and represented the All Blacks in a further 42 non-international matches. He captained the Auckland Blues to back-to-back Super 12 titles in 1996 and 1997 and played a key role in Auckland’s dominance of the National Provincial Championship throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. He scored 17 tries in test matches—a world record for a forward at the time. He also represented the New Zealand Māori side.

Rugby Career

Brooke was a founding member of the Southerners Sports Club in Bangkok and played in their inaugural match in 1994 against Taradale RFC. In 1995, he released his autobiography Zinny: The Zinzan Brooke Story, co-written with Alex Veysey.

Widely regarded as one of the finest number eights to have played for the All Blacks, Brooke possessed the running and kicking ability more commonly associated with backs, making him an unusually mobile and skilful forward. A memorable moment came during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, when he landed a 48-metre drop goal—one of three he scored in test rugby.

In the 1997 New Year Honours, Brooke was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to rugby.

His third test drop goal came during the All Blacks' commanding 42–7 victory over Wales at Wembley Stadium on 29 November 1997. This feat earned him the unique distinction of being the only rugby player to have “scored a goal at Wembley.” He also provided the assist for a try by Christian Cullen during the same match.

In 2007, former England captain Will Carling ranked Brooke ninth in The Daily Telegraph's list of the ‘50 Greatest Rugby Players of All Time’.