This story was originally published on Thursday, July 18, 2024, and is republished today as part of Te Ao Māori News' Ngā Hiranga o te tau 2024 series, highlighting an article from each month that caught your attention.
On a usual cloudy day in England, Te Ao with Moana’s Hikurangi Jackson sat down and caught up with All Black legend, Zinzan Brooke in his home away from home at Windsor Rugby Club.
The Number 8 player has been living in the United Kingdom for decades but held back tears when asked about moving home to Aotearoa.
“I miss home, I’m missing my dad. I’m seeing my sister’s looking after dad right now, and he’s coming up 98 now. He’s a very special man. He’s a cool guy.
“Great dad and you know, gave us all the opportunities that we took and blossomed and went through.
“My dad used to do every Saturday morning, he would religiously make sure that we’d have a bucket of milo, and then he was always like 12 to 15 cups [of milo] and yeah, it was absolutely so special,” he emotionally told Jackson.
This year has seen the passing of many ex-Māori All Blacks players like Sid Going, who was Brooke’s hero.
“I loved what he did, you know, super Sid. He was just a beautiful human being, and he played the game in the right way.”
Looking back on his time on the field, the number 8 player said he was giving back to the rugby lovers when he played.
“When I look back, you sort of think bloody hell, you had some skills. It was just enjoying it and [the] part about giving back and making people enjoy the game of rugby and, you know, it was a beautiful game.”
When Brooke retired from playing rugby, unlike others he didn’t find the transition from professional life to everyday living hard.
Before becoming the legend he was, he was simply just Zinzan Brooke the plumber and gas fitter who played amateur rugby.
“The trainings were Tuesday, six o’clock, Thursday, six o’clock, play on a Saturday at 2:30 PM.
“So the transition from the amateur to professional and then coming back into the amateur was quite easy actually doing a day’s work.
“You know, as a farm boy, that’s part of the journey, I remember milking the cows before [Saturday’s game.]
“[you would put] the bucket of milk in the fridge and then you filter it when you get back.”
Watch the full interview between Hikurangi Jackson and Zinzan Brooke in the video above.
