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"The ugly duckling": Former AB's coach Gilbert Enoka on training mental skills, new book

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 14 Aug 2025, 10:12am
 (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

"The ugly duckling": Former AB's coach Gilbert Enoka on training mental skills, new book

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Thu, 14 Aug 2025, 10:12am

For years, the All Blacks were praised for their mental fortitude. 

When it came down to the wire, fans could expect the team to handle the pressure, trained and prepared for all scenarios. 

Much of that fortitude can be attributed to Gilbert Enoka – our national team’s mental skills coach for 23 years. 

He retired at the end of 2023, and has now written a book that covers his mentality and philosophy during his tenure: ‘Become Unstoppable’. 

Though some of the techniques used changed over his nearly three decade long career, Enoka told Mike Hosking that the underlying principles are the same. 

“Pressure wears a new face every season, every year,” he explained. 

“But the principles for managing and navigating your way through, I believe, are timeless.” 

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