“Mental skills” coach Gilbert Enoka disappointing on radio this morning (Apr. 13, 2012)

13 April 2012 at 4:13 pm

“Mental skills” coach Gilbert Enoka disappointing on radio this morning
Nine To Noon, National Radio, Friday 13 April 2012

Interview with the All Blacks’ “mental skills coach” GILBERT ENOKA

It wasn’t all bad. As you would expect, Gilbert Enoka does have a few interesting things to say about his twelve years with the All Blacks. After the 2007 quarter-final loss in Cardiff, Enoka spent most of his time in the changing room “trying to contain the distress” of the players. Important work, no doubt, although he obviously failed to contain the distress of one DOUG HOWLETT, who went on a drunken one-man car-bonnet-stomping rampage in the small hours of the morning after.

He had a couple of good one-liners, including this one: “Just because it’s common sense doesn’t mean it’s common practice.”

He also had some interesting things to say about the All Blacks’ change of attitude toward the RWC; in 2007 they had insisted that World Cup games were just like any other games, but in 2011 the focus changed: the World Cup became the focus of the entire year. The team decided to acknowledge that the RWC was a knock-out tournament, and teams could perform “heroically”, like Tonga did against France. The All Blacks acknowledged that they too had to perform at the Cup, and that if they did not, they would “choke”.

Here Kathryn Ryan decided to interject with an especially inane comment: “The All Blacks choked in the final and still won!” she blurted cheerily.

Enoka’s a nice guy, but he wasn’t going to dignify such an idiotic outburst by affirming it. Instead, he riffed on the theme of tension and pressure….

ENOKA: We acknowledged that there would be moments of great tension and pressure. Some people just can’t execute.

RYAN: And then there is the high-performing team that loses its bottle at the critical moment.

ENOKA: Yeah…

[And so on, and so forth…]

You would have been gravely disappointed if you’d expected to hear something interesting or revelatory or—God forbid—HONEST from Gilbert Enoka about the big question from last year, viz., Why did the referee in the final fail so gruesomely to do his job? But Enoka is a key member of the All Black camp, so the iron-clad code of silence applies to him as much as it does to Graham Henry or any of the players.

But without any doubt Enoka would have been highly alert to the irony (intended or not) in Ryan’s comment about a team “losing its bottle at the critical moment” and failing to perform. Enoka, the expert in human motivation and performance management, knows that if ever there was an example of losing one’s bottle and grievously failing to perform, it was not either of the teams in the final. It was, of course, the referee (or as he is called in France, the non-referee) Craig Joubert.

Conclusion: It’s just too much to expect Gilbert Enoka, or anyone in the All Blacks’ camp, to break ranks and admit to the presence of that hideous South African elephant in the room.

• Bored17.1

  13 April 2012 at 5:01 pm

  Bloody hell Morrissey, we disagreed yesterday, now today. I have watched it 10 times, and the ref got it right. It is very dark at the bottom of those rucks and mauls, trust me I have spent a lot of time there. And the ref can only be on one side of them at a time. You would have needed two refs with night vision goggles to get a mere smidgen of what both sides were doing. (OK if I was honest I have spotted about 5 “penalty” offenses both ways..neither side benefited).

  I will contend with all confidence that if need be that Beaver would have dropped a goal, honest. Actually, the winning of the game which Enoka and Henry never mention was the direction of the replacement halfback (Ellis) who refused to kick long despite being told to in the last 4 minutes. He insisted the forwards take it up, hold onto it. A hard head when others looked decidedly panicked (especially Henry).
  • Morrissey17.1.1

    13 April 2012 at 6:03 pm

    I have watched it 10 times

    Watch it an eleventh time, but this time make sure you’re sober.
    • Bored17.1.1.1

      13 April 2012 at 6:22 pm

      I will lay on the floor in front of the TV and ask all parties (cat, dog, any local humans) to jump on top of me, don the night vision goggles and re appraise in slow motion. I promise not to earn the French a penalty by being on the wrong side of the carpet or by refusing to roll away, and I will definitley not hang on to the dog. We will still win. Promise.
      • Morrissey17.1.1.1.1

        13 April 2012 at 6:31 pm

        I suggest you watch this for a start….
        • Bored17.1.1.1.1.1

          13 April 2012 at 8:42 pm

          Well that is a couple of very partisan gents would you not say? And they definitely dont appear to like the ABs do they? And yes, the clips showed some seriously bad reffing…indeed.

          Some of us watched the whole game and saw all sorts of things that the ref missed like eye gouging players who should not have remained on the pitch. We saw Piri miss 4 penalties (another stupidly bad Henry move to pick a goal kicker with a stuffed ankle), we saw the ABs bomb a couple of tries.

          Its all too late to complain, bit like the Suzie incident. Yes the ABs were lucky, but the ref ultimately, like in the quarter in Cardiff did not dictate the result. All up a very average French team played well above themselves and still managed to lose to a very beatable NZ team. Self inflicted wounds perhaps. I wont impugn Joubert or Barnes, their optometrists may bear some responsibility however.

          I am curious Morrissey, did you want the ABs to lose?
          • Colonial Viper…

            13 April 2012 at 9:00 pm

            Would’ve lost Key the elections.
          • Morrissey…

            13 April 2012 at 9:17 pm

            Well that is a couple of very partisan gents would you not say?

            Actually, it’s a couple of neutral commentators. They were, like anyone who watched the game in a fair-minded way, appalled by the referee’s refusal to do his job.

            And they definitely dont appear to like the ABs do they?

            Not true. They were critical of the referee’s failure to do his job. They acknowledged that the All Blacks cheated blatantly throughout the second half, but they did not blame them; they blamed the man who let them cheat.

            All up a very average French team played well above themselves

            Do you actually know anything about French rugby? The fact is that the Tricolors had not only played well BELOW their true ability, but in their first round games against NZ and Tonga, they didn’t even try to play. What you’ve written makes no sense—unless you’re trying to be condescending toward a team which has more talent to draw on than any other team in the world.

            I wont impugn Joubert

            Well, that’s a pity. I’m sure you actually have more integrity than that. If you continue to indulge Joubert’s outrageous non-performance, then you’re choosing to turn a blind eye to it.

            or Barnes

            And nor should you. There is no comparison between Barnes’ honest mistakes in 2007, and Joubert’s determined refusal to do his job in 2011.

            I am curious Morrissey, did you want the ABs to lose?

            No, of course not. I wanted to see a good game of football. Unfortunately, the referee (or more accurately, the non-referee) was determined to allow one team to kill the ball illegally and persistently.
            • Bored…

              13 April 2012 at 10:42 pm

              Bloody hell Morrissey you are a belligerent bugger. Never ever wrong, can only see it your way. No one else could possibly be right or have their own opinion.

              For that you get to play in my front row, your job is to question and badger the ref to death. My job as an aged flanker is to get away with whatever I can.
              • Morrissey…

                13 April 2012 at 10:52 pm

                …you are a belligerent bugger.

                “Belligerent?” Oh hell, I’ll accept that. But go easy on the “bugger” allegation, please.

                Never ever wrong, can only see it your way.

                Not so. I’m often wrong, and I am prepared to reconsider my opinions.

                No one else could possibly be right or have their own opinion.

                Not true. I accept people will disagree over many things. But facts are not like opinions. The fact is: Craig Joubert failed to do his job in the RWC final. There are many opinions about why he failed to do his job, and I am prepared to be convinced that it was due to a failure of nerve, and not due to corruption on his part.

                But that will require some skilled advocacy. I’m sure you’re up to the job, though, my friend.
                • Bored…

                  13 April 2012 at 11:01 pm

                  Goodo. We probably agree on the French. If they selected their best and played to their ability, ref or no ref we would have been dog tucker.
              • Morrissey…

                13 April 2012 at 11:16 pm

                If they selected their best and played to their ability, ref or no ref we would have been dog tucker.

                Well, possibly. But quite possibly we (New Zealand) would still have won. I am just disappointed that we never got the chance to really find out.

                I bid you good night, Bored. You have worked hard today, and done exceedingly well.
                • Vicky32…

                  14 April 2012 at 1:41 am

                  If they selected their best and played to their ability, ref or no ref we would have been dog tucker.
                  Well, possibly. But quite possibly we (New Zealand) would still have won. I am just disappointed that we never got the chance to really find out.
                  I bid you good night, Bored. You have worked hard today, and done exceedingly well.

                  Guys, I hope I am not being rude in saying this, but could you please not talk about rugby so much here? I think it’s going to be interesting, so i start to read, but … no… it’s just sport!
                • Morrissey…

                  14 April 2012 at 3:39 pm

                  Sorry, Vicky…
                •