Zinzan Brooke is adamant that the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against the Springboks ‘wasn’t a level playing field’ due to the food poisoning that struck the New Zealand camp.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby ANZ podcast, the former All Blacks No eight reflected on the infamous saga and the impact it had on the extra-time loss for the Kiwis at Emirates Airline Park (then Ellis Park).

“No… [it] definitely wasn’t a level playing field,” said Brooke in response to host Andy Rowe. “Yeah, it was just one of those things, and yes, we could have won that game.

“But I think, you know, maybe it happened for the right reasons, but it definitely wasn’t a level playing field.”

In the build-up to the final, 27 out of 35 members of the All Blacks squad fell ill, including Brooke, who recalls the illness striking after a team lunch.

“I think it was the Thursday afternoon at the lunch we had. It was nice,” he said. “Well, it’s not when it came out. It was not good. Yeah, it filled our boots but it came out quickly.”

While Brooke acknowledged the setback, he also noted that their return to South Africa the following year – and their historic series win against the Boks – offered some redemption.

“Doing the Test series, winning, it was just beautiful, and that sort of appeases me to, you know, say OK, equal,’” he remarked.

Recalling the intensity of that 1996 tour, Brooke said” “I was absolutely knackered on the bloody ground but just thinking: ‘Sh**, we’ve done it.’ That was a moment in time where you think, ‘right, we’ve done it!’ And for me, it just closes a massive door in life.”

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