Players / High Five / Zinzan Brooke

His versatility and durability made Zinzan Brooke one of the most skilful and imaginative forwards to ever grace the field. Part of a unique band of New Zealanders to have celebrated World Cup glory in 1987, he will forever be remembered for the infamous 40m drop-goal which rubbed salt into England's wounds during the World Cup semi-final triumph in 1995.

In between an Auckland career that stretched over a decade, Zinzan commanded the All-Black jersey for 58 tests, setting a world try-scoring record for a forward with 17.

Remarkably, growing up Zinzan never saw the All-Blacks because he didn’t have a TV, instead having to settle for fascinating anecdotes from his father.

It wasn’t until he was selected at prop for the New Zealand U17s that Zinzan realised his outstanding potential, and when he made his debut at the 1987 World Cup, his boyhood dreams became a reality when as the only Maori in the side, he led the haka and embarked on a legendary career.

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