Mark Cooksley

Few New Zealand locks have had the imposing physical attributes of Mark Cooksley. At more than 2.05m and weighing more than 120kg he was among the biggest forwards ever fielded in an All Black side.

Yet while there were occasions when it looked as if he had it in him to become a genuine great the man they called the big Rigger never quite reached his full potential. Perhaps he had too genial a nature and perhaps, too, he suffered more than his share of ill fortune with injuries.

But whatever the reasons he had an extremely erratic All Black career with his 23 matches including 11 tests spread almost over a decade from 1992 to 2001.

Because of his immense size Cooksley excited interest from the time he entered first class rugby as a 19-year old with Counties in 1990. That year he was scheduled to play in the New Zealand Colts, partnering the later celebrated England Lions captain Martin Johnson, but was prevented from taking his place by the first of the many injuries which would dog his career.

He eventually made the Colts in 1991 and that same year had the first of his All Black trials. He was still only 21 when the new national selection panel headed by Laurie Mains installed him in the All Blacks for the opening test of the centenary series against the World XV in 1992.

That, though, was his only cap for 1992 though he was taken on the subsequent tour of Australia and South Africa where he played in seven matches. But for the tests Robin Brooke and Ian Jones were preferred and they would soon become the established lock pairing for the next few seasons.

When Jones was battling for form in 1993 against the Lions Cooksley was brought in for the second test at Athletic Park. But he had a lacklustre first spell, as did indeed many of the other All Blacks that day, and suffered the indignity of being replaced at halftime by Jones. As Cooksley was not injured this was a clear breach of the replacement rules then in place.

An injury to Jones enabled Cooksley to be recalled for the Bledisloe Cup test that year and in 1994, with Brooke injured for much of that season, Cooksley had his most prolonged run in the All Blacks when he played in five of that year’s internationals against France, South Africa and Australia.

But in 1995 Cooksley was overlooked for the World Cup and his only All Black involvement that year was as a replacement on the end of year tour of France. In his one appearance on tour he became the first All Black to be shown a yellow card, with Irish referee Gordon Black apparently unaware that the red and yellow card system did not then apply to international rugby.

Even when he was in the international wilderness Cooksley retained a profile in various national selections. A touch of Maori blood saw him regularly play for New Zealand Maori from 1992 onwards, in 1993, with Counties having been relegated from first division, he was in the New Zealand Divisional XV and in 1994 he was on the development team’s tour of Argentina under the captaincy of John Mitchell.

From 1990-1993 Cooksley played 36 times for Counties and from 1994-2001 he played in 75 matches for Waikato. His fortunes received a boost in 1996-97, firstly with Waikato with a prominent role in Ranfurly Shield successes of each season, and secondly when he was drafted to the 1997 Super 12 to the Hurricanes. Under the coaching of Frank Oliver he played some of the best rugby of his life and helped the franchise to the semifinals.

His 1997 form saw him recalled to the All Blacks for the end of year tour of Wales, Ireland and England but he played only in the midweek matches, being unable to break the Jones-Brooke combination.

By the 2000 season his playing days seemed numbered for he struggled to make the Chiefs Super 12 squad, appearing only occasionally as a replacement, and was omitted from the Waikato NPC squad. But he had a good season under Mitchell with the Waikato B side and returned in 2001 to not only the Super 12 but New Zealand Maori for the prestigious match against the Wallabies in Sydney and the All Blacks. Once again, though, injuries affected him and he managed only two test appearances as subsitututes in tri-nations matches against Australia in Dunedin and South Africa in Auckland.

Cooksley bowed out of top rugby, still not quite doing full justice to himself at the highest level, the following year having played in 75 matches for Waikato and just 42 Super 12 matches for the Chiefs and the Hurricanes.