The Zinzan Brooke drop goal from 1995

  • 15 years ago
The Zinzan Brooke 40m drop goal against England in the 1995 World Cup Semi Final has gone down as one of the most amazing and unexpected moments to be seen on a rugby field since the game began over a hundred years ago.

It broke English hearts on a day that was dominated by the power and pace of big Jonah Lomu. Eighth man Brooke slotting a drop kick from close to halfway just rubbed salt into the wound.

Zinzan was one of the most talented forwards to play the game, and at that time, way ahead of his peers in terms of ball skills and general talent.

"I used to practice all the time in my backyard, you know left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot," said Brooke, who won the World Cup with New Zealand in 1987.

"The moment I decided to do a drop goal was when it was actually bouncing along the ground and I thought, 'right, this is going to go through the posts'".

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