'He is the most respected individual I've ever seen inside the All Blacks'

Former All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka made room in his recent book, ‘Become Unstoppable’, for a special tribute to All Blacks great Kevin Mealamu, and has since doubled down on that sentiment.

Enoka, who first joined the All Blacks in 2000, worked alongside many a rugby icon over his 23 years with the team, including the famous Rugby World Cup-winning sides of 2011 and 2015, both rampant with household names and Hall of Fame careers.

Of all the talent and personalities who came into the All Blacks environment during his tenure, Enoka says Mealamu’s stature was singular and unmatched.

In his book, Enoka highlights a moment he caught Mealamu sitting around with a few of his younger All Blacks teammates cleaning the Bledisloe Cup after recognising it was looking a touch untidy. He used the moment as an example of the Test centurion’s humble character.

“I’d give him my world,” Enoka told the Between Two Beers Podcast when reflecting on the great hooker’s career.

“He is the most respected individual I’ve ever seen inside the All Black environment. He holds more mana than anyone else I’ve seen inside the All Black environment.

“And as he moved through it, his presence even grew. It was a different sort of presence to an outstanding athlete like a Richie (McCaw) or a Dan Carter; he was still brilliant.

“But why was he so good? Because he was honest. He was strong. He was governed by the principles of never having an off day. He was governed by a mindset that no matter whether he was in the 15, or in the 23, or outside the 23, if the team wasn’t successful, the first thing he’d do is look in the mirror and say, ‘What could I have done today to help that team be successful?’

“Others would say, ‘Well, I wasn’t in the 15, it wasn’t up to me.’ But he never did that. It was all personal with him.

“There wasn’t an ounce of take with him, although he was a mongrel on the field. He could be a hard bastard, and he was. But it was that determined humility, being the example that he was.

“If you ask him what was important to him, it would start with faith, then family, and then football, in that order. Those three combining together just created a wonderful human being who played over 100 Tests for the most successful international sporting team of all time.”