All Blacks coach Rennie confirms management group, Gilbert Enoka and and Dr James McGarvey return

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has confirmed the final shape of his management group for the upcoming season, with two further changes in personnel.

Two senior members of the previous management group, Dr Ceri Evans and Dr Martin Swan, are departing the team while Gilbert Enoka and Dr James McGarvey will return to the All Blacks.

Enoka has a storied career as a mental skills coach, working alongside New Zealand’s most elite athletes and teams – including a 23-year stint with the All Blacks, before standing down after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

He has played a significant role in shaping the All Blacks’ leadership and mental performance environment over more than two decades, will return as leadership and mental performance coach. Enoka most recently worked with the England cricket team and the Chelsea Football Club in a short-term consultancy roles.

Rennie said the experience he will bring is invaluable.

“I want to firstly acknowledge the important contribution that Dr Ceri Evans has made to the team over the last two decades. His breadth of experience and expertise in the field of high-pressure performance is world-class and the legacy he leaves is significant,” he said.

“We are excited to welcome Gilbert Enoka back into the All Blacks. With two intense seasons ahead of us, including this year’s extended tour of South Africa and the 2027 Rugby World Cup, we believe the experience, deep understanding of the environment and connection that Gilbert brings will be of huge value.”

McGarvey, the current Blues doctor, returns to the All Blacks team doctor role that he held between 2020 and 2023 and resumes a working relationship with Rennie that began with the New Zealand Under-20s in 2010 and continued at the Chiefs from 2012.

“I know that James will transition seamlessly into the group because he already knows the role, the environment, and me as a head coach,” Rennie said. “Work is already well underway for the season ahead, but having existing relationships such as this certainly help to ensure a smooth process when we are coming together as a new group.”

New Zealand Rugby interim CEO Steve Lancaster also welcomed the return of both Enoka and McGarvey and paid tribute to the service and expertise Evans and Swan have contributed to the All Blacks.

“On behalf of New Zealand Rugby, I would like to thank Ceri for all the wisdom and insight he has shared since he began consulting to the All Blacks in 2010. His combination of experience as an elite athlete and forensic psychiatrist has made him a world-renowned expert in the area of mental performance and we’ve been fortunate to tap into that knowledge to help the All Blacks perform under pressure, including his well-known Red Blue mind model.

“We also thank Dr Martin Swan for the care he has given to the All Blacks as team doctor over the last two seasons. Martin’s strong focus on wholistic wellbeing and the Te Whare Tapa Whā health model has been important within the team. We wish him the very best for the future, including his ongoing work with the New Zealand Defence Force and New Zealand Cricket.

“It is fantastic to be welcoming two very experienced All Blacks alumni back and we know what a valuable contribution both Gilbert and James will make,” Lancaster said.