You cannot rule out England: Zinzan

CLOSE CONTEST: England flanker Ben Clarke, right, tries to avoid the attentions of New Zealand No 8 Zinzan Brooke during their Rugby World Cup semifinal match on June 18, 1995 in SA IN 1995 Zinzan Brooke was part of an All Black demolition job on England in the semifinals of the Rugby World Cup.

That was the game when Jonah Lomu virtually ran over Tony Underwood and Mike Catt, the poor England defenders who tried to stop him reaching the tryline.

Lomu scored four of the All Blacks’ six tries that day at Newlands and Brooke, playing at No 8, even dropped a goal from 47m in the 45-29 victory.

Twenty years later, Brooke believes England will not be the pushovers at home.

While almost everyone has the All Blacks as favourites to win, one of the most famous of All Blacks says: “I haven’t got a clue.”

The reason he doesn’t go with the crowd is that he says there are “flaws” in the All Blacks team, but fails to mention these.

“Genuinely, any one of five or six countries could win it,” he says. “You can’t rule out Australia. I’ve got Ireland down as my wild cards, I think they could easily make a semifinal. Here’s how tight it is, you can’t even rule out England.”

Brooke has lived in England for the past 17 years and played for Harlequins. He has established a number of businesses in Britain and all six of his children were born in England. He even suggests that if his two rugbymad sons — or four daughters — were to play for the country of their birth rather than for New Zealand, it would be the proudest moment of his life.

His point is that this World Cup is as competitive and hard to call as any in the 28-year history of the tournament.

He hopes England will reach the play-offs from a pool that includes Australia and Wales.

“Truth is, it will ruin it if England don’t, which would be bad for everybody,” he says.

Of that tournament 20 years ago in South Africa, Brooke fondly recalls playing with his brother Robin, a lock forward, in the semifinal against England on a brilliant, sunny day in Cape Town.

The brothers played rugby on their farm in Auckland. He says kicking that drop goal was like playing on the farm.

“The ball came to me, and it was like I was back at home, in the yard, I just hit the thing . . . Actually I was aiming to put it through the slats in the fence.”

Now 50, he still harbours some ambition to coach rugby one day but for the present, he concentrates on his construction business which has been hard hit by the recent economic downturn.

“I’d love to coach. But I don’t want to make decisions for financial reasons. I don’t want to be a coach having to compromise because of having to keep earning a living,” he said. “I want to make decisions on the pitch for right reasons, because it’s calculated, thought through, the right thing to do. Not because I need to keep the job.” -— ©

I’ve got Ireland down as my wild cards, they could easily make semifinals