All Blacks magic in Zim

Deputy Sports Editor

THE name Zizan Brooke might not sound familiar or even generate the same kind of awe and interest as Jonah Lomu, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams or any of the Barrett brothers — Beauden and Jordie — in New Zealand rugby colours.

Brooke is a name that most rugby purists, however, hold in high regard.

A relic of the 1980s and the early 1990s, he played 58 Tests for New Zealand and 42 non-international matches for the All Blacks.

He also captained Auckland Blues to Super 12 championship titles in 1996 and 1997.

At the peak of his playing powers, he was an influential figure in Auckland’s dominance in the National Provincial Championship during the late 1980s and 1990s.

He scored 17 tries in Test matches, which back then was a world record for a forward, and is widely considered one of the best number eights to have ever played for the All Blacks.

A survey recently conducted by Ruck Magazine voted him among the top 20 rugby players of all time.

Brooke spent the last couple of decades spreading a little bit of that All Blacks magic to a new generation of rugby players around the world.

Last week, he was on a similar mission and took time to hold coaching clinics for the Colts teams from Mbare Academy and Dolphin Academy.

He ran the budding players from the two academies through the basics of the game and gave them a few training tips.

“A friend of mine asked me a couple of months ago if I was interested in coming through to South Africa for the New Zealand Tests, and maybe pass through Zimbabwe for a day or two and help out with the youth rugby,” said Brooke, as he chronicled the origins of the trip.

“I said ‘absolutely’, and that is one of the main reasons I am here.

“This is what I do: I teach young kids rugby in the United Kingdom, where I am based now, and I had a few training sessions with some of the kids that managed to make their way here (Harare Sports Club).”

Brooke was hugely impressed by the zeal and potential on display from the academies, although he expressed concern about the language barrier.

“There was a little bit of a language barrier here and there, but the talent and zeal are there, and that is all you can ever ask for as a coach or teacher.

“I usually teach kids ranging from 10 to 16-year-olds and the goal is to arm them with the required basic skills that will carry them for the rest of their careers and give them a leg up when the opportunity to represent their country arises,” he said.

“I was impressed with the appetite some of these kids have for the game.

“I watched them warm up before we began our training sessions, and they were enthusiastic, and that is all you want.

“You want kids with the drive to push themselves, and the rest will come as they get older and get more accustomed to the game.”

He also opened up on his thoughts on the current All Blacks team, who have been struggling with their game, having lost a series 2-1 to Wales and also fell to South Africa’s Springboks.

While saddened by the team’s current form, the 57-year-old believes there is still time for the team to rediscover their mojo and go to next year’s World Cup in the right frame of mind.

“It’s not bells and roses, isn’t it?

“They are struggling a bit, but there is still time to right the ship.

“They will come out of it and it’s just a matter of timing.”