Zinzan Valentine BrookeMNZM (born Murray Zinzan Brooke on 14 February 1965)[5][6] is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer who played at number eight.
Brooke was a founding player of the Southerners Sports Club (Bangkok), playing in the inaugural side in 1994 against Taradale RFC. In 1995 he published his autobiography Zinny: The Zinzan Brooke story, written with Alex Veysey.
Brooke is considered one of the best number eights to have ever played for the All Blacks.[citation needed] He had the running and kicking skills of a backline player which made him extremely mobile and agile as a forward. He once kicked a 48-metre drop goal during a 1995 Rugby World Cup match, one of three he scored in test matches.
Brooke scored his third drop goal during the All Blacks' impressive 42–7 win against Wales at Wembley Stadium on 29 November 1997, giving him the rare distinction of being the only rugby player to have "scored a goal at Wembley".[8] He also set up a try for Christian Cullen.[9]
In 2007, former England centre and captain Will Carling published his list of the '50 Greatest Rugby players' in The Daily Telegraph, and ranked Brooke the ninth greatest player of all time, stating:
"For a forward his skills were outrageous. As comfortable playing sevens as 15s, he had better kicking and handling skills than some fly-halves playing international rugby. You align that with his strength and ability as a forward to read the game – he was unique."[10]
Retirement
In 1997 he retired from international rugby union and moved to England to play for Harlequins, and later coach it. During the 2002/03 season he played for Coventry in National Division One. He now plays amateur rugby union for Windsor Rugby Club in Berkshire, England.
Brooke ran Frances Lodge, a boutique bed and breakfast in Windsor, Berkshire, with his wife. However, it closed when both Brooke and his wife were declared bankrupt in the UK in August 2012.[11]
Brooke suffered head trauma in May 2007 while falling out of a taxi in the Spanish town of Elche, though the circumstances are unclear.[12]
During the COVID-19 outbreak, Brooke began advocating online against the use of face masks and posting support for alternative treatments such as Ivermectin and Hydroxychloroquine. These claims were criticised by New Zealand scientists such as Michael Baker and Siouxsie Wiles calling on Brooke to engage with scientists and to seek out "reputable sources".[13]
Name and family
Zinzan Brooke's unusual first name has a long history in the Brooke family, though its origins are uncertain. It has been suggested that it may be an anglicised Italian[14] or Albanian[15] name. The name links Brooke's family with another notable New Zealand sporting family, that of cricketer Zin Harris (full name Parke Gerald Zinzan Harris) and his sons Chris Zinzan Harris and Ben Zinzan Harris, all of whom are distant relatives of the Brookes.
He has two other brothers who also played rugby at representative level: Marty, who played for Auckland and Southland; and Robin, who played lock for Auckland and New Zealand.
