Zinzan on the Tri-Nations

The Zurich Premiership is up and running and Australia have snatched victory in the Tri-Nations decider in Sydney.

All Black great Zinzan Brooke has been involved in both competitions and was on hand to answer your e-mails.

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New Zealand and Australia played out a thrilling finale to the Tri-Nations and it was the Wallabies who edged it at the last to give John Eales a resounding send-off.

Meanwhile, Leicester Tigers were beaten by Newcastle on the opening weekend of the Zurich Premiership, while rivals Bath were stung by new boys Leeds.

As a former All Black captain and coach of Premiership side Harlequins, Zinzan Brooke is the perfect man to provide insight into both competitions.

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Simon King, UK

I can't see past Leicester for the Zurich title, but who does Zinzan see for the remaining places?

If you were a betting man you'd have to go with Leicester. Their track record speaks for itself and the signings of Kronfeld and Kafer are great. Plus having the big guys like Johnson back in the frame will make it difficult for the opposition to compete. But you like to have teams setting the benchmark and everyone else trying to get up with them. I like the look of Quins, and one man who might make the difference is David Wilson. But you can't really look past Bath, Wasps and Newcastle as challengers.

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Mark Williamson, UK

The Tri-Nations has come in for some criticism this year and Josh Kronfeld reckons it's been pretty dull fare. Is Saturday going to be any different?

That's a fair comment. The standard of the first All Blacks versus South Africa game was pretty pathetic. The skill levels were disappointing compared to the standard set by the Lions and Australia. The Lions series was fantastically gripping and set a benchmark and the other teams haven't come up to scratch. I think the competition's got a little better, but I think you'll see a different game this week. It'll be close, but Australia might have a little too much experience. But overall, the Tri-Nations has been very, very disappointing.

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Rory Bryne, Ireland

What will be the key if New Zealand are to win on Australian soil for the first time in a number of years?

You've got to get into them physically. You've got too play a little bit more with the mind and be smarter. The guy that will be crucial this week is Andrew Mehrtens because it will come down to who makes the least mistakes on the kicking side. It'll only be about a 25 point Test match, but you'd have to pick Australia. But they are there to be taken.

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Paul Ayre, NZ

Much has been made of the Aussie weakness in the scrum. Should New Zealand target that?

The strength for the Aussie side is their back play. They need to take them on up front, but I think they'll be evenly matched. New Zealand need to set a platform, get some confidence and bring in the key guys at eight, nine and 10. You¿ve seen chinks in their armour, the Lions exposed them in the first Test as did South Africa, so they can be beaten.

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Gordon Hart, UK

How much will the Eales factor play a part in this match?

The big motivation for the Aussie side will be that it's John Eales' last game. That could count for between three and 10 points. But the motivation on the New Zealand side will be to blow the candles out on Eales' party. Nothing will motivate the All Blacks more. He's a fantastic player, but there's a certain rivalry between the teams.

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Jehan P, Sri Lanka

New Zealand rugby is losing its aura of invincibility. Do you think they'll ever get it back?

You can always get it back, but it's a valid point. This sort of competition's great for revenue, but I think they play too many games and there's boredom among the players. The Bledisloe Cup games are still classic encounters, but as for the Tri-Nations, I feel the guys don't want to be playing home and away games. It should be like the Six Nations where you play once and that's it. In a Test match you need to be 100% focused on the game, but the novelty of games against Australia and South Africa is wearing off. Players are getting stale and something needs to change.