Zinzan Valentine Brooke was born on 14 February 1965 and educated at Mahurangi College. He played for the Marist club and Auckland and between 1987 and 1997 played 100 games, including 58 tests, for New Zealand. A world-class number 8, in 1993 he was at flank forward for the All Blacks against the Barbarians at Cardiff and eventually became a distinguished Baa-Baa in his own right on two summer tours in 1999 and 2000. On the latter he captained the Club against Scotland at Murrayfield and in the resounding 85-10 victory over English club champions Leicester at Twickenham. On that tour he also packed down in the same side as his brother and fellow All Black, Robin Brooke. He served on the Club committee from 2004 to 2011 and coached the squad against Combined Services and East Midlands and also on the 2007 summer tour to Tunisia and Spain.