BBC SPORT | Sports Talk | Forum | Zinzan Brooke on All Blacks

Former All Black captain Zinzan Brooke answers your e-mails on the upcoming Tri-Nations series.

Australia retained the Tri-Nations title in thrilling fashion last year, pipping the All Blacks in the deciding game with a last gasp try.

The All Blacks are looking good ahead of this year's series and will be primed for revenge, while South Africa will be determined to erase last year's disappointment.

Former All Black Zinzan was perfectly poised to answer your questions.

Keith, New Zealand

What do you make of Jonah Lomu's omission from the NZ squad for the series opener?

I was quite surprised initially but there's always a reason behind what John Mitchell wants to do. He has obviously thought long and hard about it. Most teams around the world would love a guy like Lomu in their squad and he'd be the first player in the squad.

However, maybe it's time to give other guys a try. It throws really the ball in Australia's court now as they won't know what they are getting and will have to watch out for players like Caleb Ralph. They don't really know him and he's a very good player. He might not have the power and pace of Lomu, but it's an opportunity for him to show what he is made of.

Imran Akmed, Pakistan

I'm a great fan of the New Zealand team of your era, but lately they seem to have lost direction. What do you think of the current squad and do you think the new coach can bring about a change?

I think John Mitchell and co are on the right track. I think the side in the last couple of years haven't been right up to scratch; they have been struggling through games and the Tri-Nations. A lot of it has to do with confidence. The standards of the team slipped through the nineties and it's hard to emulate the earlier success year in, year out.

When you have players that have played hundreds of games it's easy to see why the All Blacks struggled to get themselves back to the their best. But I think they will soon be back to their favoured position of best in the world!

Braso, New Zealand

Traditionally the All Blacks have always had a dependable ball running number eight, who do you think should fill this space in the run up to the World Cup?

Well, they are trying Scott Robinson and there's Taine Randell. There's also Ron Cribb.

I'm a huge fan of Ron and the good thing about him is that he could become the guy in the number one seat. With his injuries he's got the time to get back to his best. He's only a young guy and I think having this sit back will be good for him. I think we will see him emerge as the number one choice.

Nick, Canada

Chis Jack has been a star performer in recent years but in the last few years the front five have become far less fearsome than it once was. Do you agree and what importance do you place on it?

I was very lucky to be involved in a pretty special area; we had probably the best hooker in the world in Sean Fitzpatrick. When you are talking about a tight five you couldn't get much better than that. It was an absolute pleasure to be playing in such a tight unit. There weren't many people that could get past us. We were blessed at that time.

Chris Jack is just about as good now as John Eales ever was, not to take anything away from John. Eales was a fantastic player and Jack could become even better if he keeps playing the way he is.

Carl, England/NZ

Do you think the high number Crusaders will affect the All Blacks tactics and does having so many players from one team reflect badly on New Zealand rugby?

I think that's a fair point and I do think there are other players that could be called on. In the Australian side there is a good combination of players and they have a good balance there.

Basically the New Zealand team equals the Canterbury side and I think at Test level it's another step up and some of the players have been swept along with the club's dominance and have reached higher levels than what they are actually capable of.

I think the game this weekend will be very interesting and might be make or break for the Canterbury players. If New Zealand gets beaten it may lead to a review the situation of using so many players from one provincial side.

Simon, New Zealand

I saw the second Test between Australia and France and the noticeable difference between Australia and the All Blacks seems to be the level of communication. The All Blacks seem to keep very quiet, is this a new thing or was it like that in your day?

No, it's not a new thing. You just got on with your own job; there wasn't a lot of talk. Sometimes a lot of communication is good and clearly works for some teams. But sometimes it's not necessary and you just get on with your job without a lot of shouting instructions.

I feel a lot of the New Zealand players are probably quite shy and maybe it's seen as a bit macho to be mouthing off on the field. But you have got to get out there and make sure everyone knows what they need to be doing.

Steve Adams, USA

What has been your impression of the work of rugby officials during the Tri-Nations? Rugby seems to avoid a lot of the controversy that mars other sports such as the recent Football World Cup.

I can't believe what happens in other sports. I'm amazed at the way that some players go up to referees and physically intimidate them and verbally intimidate them. It shouldn't be allowed to happen and if it happened in rugby I think the player would be dealt with severely.

The recent World Cup was a good example of how out of control the situation has become. I really admired the Brazilian player Rivaldo before he started his silly stunts. There are just too many players in football behaving like they are Hollywood actors, faking injuries, etc!