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Robin was the slightly lesser known but equally accomplished sibling of the two Brooke brothers who played such a key role in New Zealand's successes in the 1990s. Robin made his debut in the 1992 rubber against Ireland, a series which formed part of New Zealand's rebuilding process following the previous year's World Cup. Whereas brother Zinzan had been earmarked as a star from a very early age and was involved in the international set up as far back as 1987, Robin had to pay his dues in the club game for several years before eventually getting the call to arms. Even then his selection was seen as a courageous decision, but under coach Laurie Mains, Robin developed into a world class player and was a virtual fixture in the side for the next seven years. His first match was played in tandem with Ian Jones, who was a year his junior, but already had two seasons of international rugby under his belt. Together they would go on to break the New Zealand record for appearances as a lineout partnership. The duo were probably not in the same class as the immortal Colin Meads and Maurice Brownlie, but those two were lineout stars who would have shone in any side, in any era. The lineout was sometimes an area where New Zealand had problems, and the Jones-Brooke line up were given a difficult time against the Englishmen Bayfield, Dooley and Johnson in the Lions series of 1993. Come the 1995 World Cup though, any such deficiencies were irrelevant in the context of New Zealand's overall power. The All Blacks were famously hamstrung by food poisoning before the final against South Africa, but the Brooke brothers were amongst the few to escape that nightmare. Robin and Zinzan, together with skipper Sean Fitzpatrick and a handful of others had arrived at the team hotel later than the main party and did not drink the same tea and coffee as the rest of the team, the believed source of contamination. (Jon Collins)
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Robin Brooke pictured on 31st. October 1999. Photo G. Herringshaw.
| 1996 was a banner year for New Zealand rugby, and Robin was part of the unbroken pack which played all ten tests together that season. The first Tri Nations series was won with a 100% record, and the Blacks also won a series in South Africa for the first time. One of the team's most satisfying performances was an astonishing 43-6 pounding of the Aussies played in a Dunedin rainstorm, a game rated as one of the most perfect demonstrations of offensive rugby in history. The year after the All Blacks were even more spectacular, though some observers noted that they were shipping too many easy points in their desire to attack at every opportunity. Whilst no one could argue with the impressive string of victories, former All Black hard men winced at some of the soft tries they were conceding. A long season ended with a tour of Britain, a visit marked by England's bizarre "victory lap" at Old Trafford after the Blacks had downed the Red Rose 25-8. The following season was a different story as New Zealand endured a run of five defeats on the bounce, their worst ever. Many felt that Robin in particular was below par that year, and lacked the necessary application and drive that was required of a senior All Black. He kept his place for the 1999 World Cup, although the famous partnership with Ian Jones had now been disbanded on a more or less permanent basis. Robin's last game was the 31-43 semi-final reverse against France, one of the most disastrous defeats in All Black history and one which also spelled the end of John Hart's four year tenure as coach. The prophets of doom had been proved right as defensive frailties and a tendency to concede unnecessary tries eventually proved to be New Zealand's downfall. In total Robin played in 62 tests for his country, scoring 20 points. (Jon Collins) |