Zinzan Brooke
As of April 19, 2008
Zinzan Valentine Brooke ( born February 14 1965 in Waiuku as Murray Zinzan Brooke ) is a former New Zealand rugby union player who played the positions Number Eight and winger. He was part of the team that won the first Rugby Union World Cup.
Career
In 58 appearances for the All Blacks he came to, remarkable for a striker, with 89 points. He was captain of the Auckland Blues and celebrated two championships in the Super 12 He was also active for New Zealand Māori.
Brooke is considered the best number eight has ever played for New Zealand. The combination of the skills of the forward and the barrel and kick strength of a back line player made them an unpredictable factor in the game the All Blacks. In the 1995 World Cup he scored, for example, a drop goal from about 47 meters.
In 1997 he ended his international career and went to England to Harlequins. Later he was to train those team also, but that was all from the success. In 2002 he moved to second division club Coventry, there to end his career. Today he still plays the one time or another for the amateur club Windsor RFC.
In May 2007, Brooke fell while getting out of a taxi and dropped to the back of his head. He had to be rushed to a hospital. Since then, he has difficulty articulating what might have come by damage to the Broca's area to pass.