 Cooksley consistently played well that season, helping the Hurricanes to reach the semi-finals, and he was rewarded with an All Black recall for the end of year tour to Britain and Ireland, although he only featured in the mid-week matches.In 2000, it appeared that his rugby career was over as he struggled to make the Waikato NPC side.However, he was selected for the Chiefs side for the Super 12 in 2001, and earned an All Black recall that year, where he played in two Tri-Nations matches.