With the growing influence of New Zealanders in the England cricket team, including head coach Brendon McCullum, fast-bowling consultant Tim Southee, and captain Ben Stokes (a New Zealand native who later moved to the UK), another man from New Zealand has joined the setup. The former All Blacks (New Zealand’s national rugby team) coach, Gilbert Enoka, who introduced what he called a “no d***heads policy” to the New Zealand squad, has now joined the England team during the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India.
England’s decision to onboard a mental skills coach came amid a high-drama series against India, where the home side is currently leading the five-match Test series 2-1 after the third Test at Lord’s.
According to The Telegraph, Enoka has been brought in by his compatriot Brendon McCullum — with whom he previously worked in New Zealand cricket — to toughen up an England squad amid a pivotal phase that includes series against India followed by the all-important Ashes against Australia.
Enoka has been working behind the scenes with McCullum’s team since a pre-season camp in London ahead of the Zimbabwe Test in May. On Tuesday, he addressed the players before training at Old Trafford and will remain with the squad until the end of the week, per The Telegraph.
A key figure in New Zealand rugby, Enoka has been associated with the All Blacks since 2000, serving in various roles. After 15 years as a mental skills coach, he spent the last seven as their leadership manager. His tenure coincided with a golden era for the team, including back-to-back World Cup triumphs (2011 and 2015) and a prolonged reign as the world’s top-ranked side.
Before his rugby success, Enoka worked with the New Zealand cricket team (1998–2004) and the national netball team (1994–97). More recently, he was hired by Premier League club Chelsea in 2023 for a stint in England.
“A dickhead makes everything about them,” he said in 2017. “They are people who put themselves ahead of the team, people who think they’re entitled to things, expect the rules to be different for them, people operating deceitfully in the dark, or being unnecessarily loud about their work.
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“The management might not spot these counterproductive behaviours. The players and leaders themselves should call others out for their inflated egos. Often teams put up with it because a player has so much talent. We look for early warning signs and wean the big egos out pretty quickly. Our motto is: ‘If you can’t change the people, change the people,’” as quoted by The Guardian.
