View source for Zinzan Brooke

{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name             = Zinzan Brooke
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM|size=100%}}
| image            =
| caption          = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|df=y|1965|02|14}}
| birth_place      = [[Waiuku]], New Zealand
| relatives        = [[Robin Brooke]] (brother)<br>[[Gerard Beale]] (distant cousin)
| school           = [[Mahurangi College]]
| height           = {{convert|1.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight           = {{convert|102|kg|stlb|abbr=on}}
| position         = [[Rugby union positions#Number Eight|Number 8]]<br>[[Rugby union positions#Flanker|Flanker]]
| amatyears1       = 
| amatteam1        = 
| ru_amupdate      = 
| repteam1         = {{nrut|New Zealand}}
| repyears1        = 1987–1997
| repcaps1         = 58
| reppoints1       = 89
| super1           = [[Blues (Super Rugby)|Auckland Blues]]
| superyears1      = 1996–1997
| superapps1       = 
| superpoints1     = 
| years1           = 1986–1992
| years2           = 1992–1993
| years3           = 1997–2001
| years4           = 2001–2003
| clubs1           = [[S.S. Lazio Rugby 1927|Lazio]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liberation.fr/sports/0101236137-en-1997-ils-ont-raccroche-zinzan-brooke-7-et-fin-black-a-part-le-neo-zelandais-restera-comme-un-modele-du-rugby-moderne-la-folie-en-plus|title=En 1997, ils ont raccroché: Zinzan Brooke (7 et fin). Black à part.Le Néo-Zélandais restera comme un modèle du rugby moderne. La folie en plus.}}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2011/10/20/sport/rugby/mondiali-un-italiano-in-finale-guardarla-sara-un-incubo-BOzERBIzVSjITqUxJbf3aI/pagina.html|title=Mondiali, un italiano in finale"Guardarla sarà un incubo"|date=20 October 2011}}</ref>
| clubs2           = [[ASD Rugby Casale|Casale]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/2009/05/rubriche/la-storia/all-black/all-black.html|title=Zinzan Brooke, mito tra gli All black "Tutto iniziò leggendo il giornale" - la storia - Repubblica.it|website=www.repubblica.it}}</ref>
| clubs3           = [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]]
| clubs4           = [[Coventry R.F.C.|Coventry]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/1593668.stm|title=Zinzan to make comeback|date=12 October 2001|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>
| points1          = 
| apps1            = 
| province1        = [[Auckland Rugby Union|Auckland]]
| provinceyears1   = 1986–1997
| provinceapps1    = 
| provincepoints1  = 
| repsevensyears1  = 
| ru_sevensupdate  = 
| coachteams1      = 
| coachyears1      = 
| ru_coachupdate   =  
}}

'''Zinzan Valentine Brooke''' {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM}} (born '''Murray Zinzan Brooke''' on 14 February 1965)<ref>{{cite web |title=My Rugby World Cup hero: Zinzan Brooke |url=https://www.planetrugby.com/my-rugby-world-cup-hero-zinzan-brooke/ |website=PlanetRugby.com |access-date=24 December 2019 |date=17 September 2019}}</ref><ref>his name was changed by [[deed poll]]. Quinn, 1999, p.35</ref> is a former New Zealand [[rugby union]] footballer who played at [[Number eight (rugby union)|number eight]].

Brooke played 58 [[Rugby union#Major international competitions|tests]] for New Zealand, and 42 non-international matches for the [[All Blacks]]. He captained [[Blues (Super Rugby)|Auckland Blues]] to [[Super 12]] championships in 1996 and 1997 and was an influential figure in [[Auckland Rugby Union|Auckland's]] dominance in the [[National Provincial Championship (1976–2005)|National Provincial Championship]] during the late 1980s and 1990s. He scored 17 tries in test matches, then a world record for a forward.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} He also played for [[New Zealand Māori rugby union team|New Zealand Māori]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}

==Rugby career==
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 eight (rugby union)|number eight]]s to have ever played for the [[All Blacks]].{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} 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 Union World Cup|1995 Rugby World Cup]] match, one of three he scored in test matches.

In the [[1997 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|1997 New Year Honours]], Brooke was appointed a [[Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit]], for services to rugby.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-1997 |title=New Year honours list 1997 |date=31 December 1996 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=15 December 2019}}</ref>

Brooke scored his third drop goal during the All Blacks' impressive 42–7 win against [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] on 29 November 1997, giving him the rare distinction of being the only rugby player to have "scored a goal at Wembley".<ref>Quinn, 1999, p.36</ref> He also set up a try for [[Christian Cullen]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|date=1 December 1997|url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&kw=Zinzan+Brooke&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news971201_0158_8951|title=Rampaging All Blacks Crush Wales}}</ref>

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: <blockquote>"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."<ref name="telegraph">{{cite news| title= Will Carling – My Top 50 Rugby players| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/2320582/Will-Carling-My-50-top-rugby-players.html|newspaper   = [[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=17 November 2009| date=13 August 2007}}</ref></blockquote>

==Retirement==
In 1997 he retired from international rugby union and moved to England to play for [[Harlequin F.C.|Harlequins]], and later coach it. During the 2002/03 season he played for [[Coventry R.F.C.|Coventry]] in [[National Division One]]. He now plays amateur rugby union for [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] Rugby Club in Berkshire, England.

In 2011, while back in [[New Zealand]] for the [[2011 Rugby World Cup]], Brooke was inducted into the TVNZ [[This Is Your Life (New Zealand TV series)|This Is Your Life]] wall of fame. His family joined him from England at the [[Auckland]] Viaduct for the live show. Special guests included his four brothers, [[Buck Shelford]] and [[Michael Jones (rugby union)|Michael Jones]].

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10826007 |title=Zinzan Brooke declared bankrupt |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=2012-08-10 |access-date=2015-11-08}}</ref>

Brooke suffered head trauma in May 2007 while falling out of a taxi in the Spanish town of [[Elche]], though the circumstances are unclear.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6697779.stm|title=Legend Brooke has brain operation|date=13 July 2007|publisher=BBC Sport }}</ref>

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 (epidemiologist)|Michael Baker]] and [[Siouxsie Wiles]] calling on Brooke to engage with scientists and to seek out "reputable sources".<ref>{{cite web |title=All Black legend Zinzan Brooke urged to engage with scientists over Covid stance |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/124461833/all-black-legend-zinzan-brooke-urged-to-engage-with-scientists-over-covid-stance |website=Stuff |date=8 March 2021 |publisher=Stuff |access-date=24 May 2021}}</ref>

==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<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/1999/may/16/cricket7|title=Magic of Zinzan name rubs off on a singular Kiwi|date=16 May 1999|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> or Albanian<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=432388.0|title=Sir Alexander Zinzan (d. ?1607) (Berkshire) - RootsChat.Com|website=www.rootschat.com}}</ref> 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 Harris (cricketer)|Chris Zinzan Harris]] and [[Ben Harris (cricketer)|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 Brooke|Robin]], who played [[Lock (rugby union)|lock]] for Auckland and New Zealand.

Brooke is a member of the [[Ngāpuhi]] iwi.<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Tony |date=12 February 2021 |title=Māori Sports Awards: Lisa Carrington judged most influential Māori sports star since 1991 |work= |website=stuff.co.nz |location= |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/124220066/mori-sports-awards-lisa-carrington-judged-most-influential-mori-sports-star-since-1991 |access-date=12 February 2021}}</ref>

His son [[Lucas Brooke]] is also a rugby union player in England.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.rugbypass.com/news/lucas-brooke-son-of-zinzan-is-qualified-for-england/|website=rugbypass.com|accessdate=May 10, 2023|title= The latest Brooke off the rugby production line is qualified for England and has just signed his first contract|first=Chris|last=Jones|date=May 25, 2000}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last1 = Quinn| first1 = Keith| title = A Century of Rugby Greats| location =Auckland | publisher = Celebrity Books | year=1999 | isbn = 0-9583729-8-5}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Sport links}}
*{{All Blacks|new_id=Zinzan-Brooke-AB-883|old_id=88|name=Zinzan Brooke}}
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20040215115048/http://www.windsorrugby.info/ Windsor Rugby Club]}}
*[http://www.franceslodge.co.uk/ Frances Lodge website]

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{s-bef | before = [[John Timu (rugby)|John Timu]]}}
{{s-ttl | rows=2 | title = [[Tom French Cup|Tom French Memorial<br>Māori rugby union player of the year]]| years=1992<br>1994}}
{{s-aft | after = [[Arran Pene]]}}
{{s-bef | before = Arran Pene}}
{{s-aft | after= [[Robin Brooke]]}}
{{end}}

{{All Blacks Squad 1987 World Cup}}
{{All Blacks Squad 1991 World Cup}}
{{All Blacks Squad 1995 World Cup}}
{{Barbarian RFC Captains in Internationals}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Zinzan}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Ngāpuhi people]]
[[Category:New Zealand male rugby sevens players]]
[[Category:Māori All Blacks players]]
[[Category:New Zealand international rugby union players]]
[[Category:New Zealand rugby union players]]
[[Category:Auckland rugby union players]]
[[Category:Blues (Super Rugby) players]]
[[Category:Barbarian F.C. players]]
[[Category:Rugby union number eights]]
[[Category:Harlequin F.C. players]]
[[Category:People from Waiuku]]
[[Category:Coventry R.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in England]]
[[Category:New Zealand expatriate rugby union players in Italy]]
[[Category:People educated at Mahurangi College]]
[[Category:Rugby union players from the Auckland Region]]
[[Category:1987 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:1991 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:1995 Rugby World Cup players]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]