Forget Talent – This Is Why New Zealand Wins and Tottenham Doesn’t (Yet)

All Blacks - Mentally, probably the best team in the world from a tiny nation

The All Blacks’ Secret Playbook: From Nearly Men to Ruthless Winners

Welcome to another post using the world around us to learn lessons from.

Today its the...

New Zealand rugby union team (the All Blacks),,,

Arguably the most consistently successful international side in any sport. 

Their World Cup victories (1987, 2011 and 2015)...

Relentless win percentage (around 77–80% historically)...

And near-mythical aura...

Come from a deep, systemic culture of excellence.

How did they do it... 

What can Tottenham Hotspur learn...

And what fans don’t usually see behind the curtain is all coming up.

🏆 HOW DID NEW ZEALAND BECOME SO GOOD?

1. Winning Culture Over Everything

• The All Blacks don’t just play to win — they are conditioned to expect to win.

• It’s a generational baton: you don’t want to be the one who drops it.

• There’s a story of Richie McCaw walking into a room aged 14 and writing in his school workbook: “I want to be an All Black. I want to be a great All Black.”

• That’s not dreaming. That’s deliberate identity-shaping.

2. Leaders at Every Level

• They developed leadership from the inside out.

• Every player was expected to think like a captain.

• Leadership groups were rotated — even non-captains made decisions on tour.

• It wasn’t just “follow the manager” — it was collective accountability.

3. The No Dickheads Policy

• This isn’t a meme — it’s a codified principle.

• Bad attitudes were weeded out — even if the player was world-class.

• They maintained a humble, team-first environment.

"Better men make better All Blacks."
— Sir Graham Henry

4. Kaizen: Obsession with Marginal Gains

• Every training session was reviewed. Every mistake analyzed.

• They created a feedback-rich culture where truth wasn’t avoided — it was embraced.

• Players were taught to be their own best critics.

5. Rituals That Build Belief

• The haka is more than performance. It’s a spiritual act.

• It reminds them who they represent: ancestors, country, past teams.

• There’s also symbolic value in things like sweeping the sheds — senior players cleaning the locker room after games.

That’s humility enforced from the top down.

🧠 WHAT CAN TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR LEARN?

1. Mentality Must Be Coached, Not Hoped For

• You can’t leave mental strength to chance or personality.

• The All Blacks trained it deliberately: visualisation, pressure training, captaincy simulations. I'll plug my mantra about using sports psychologists properly again

• Spurs need to make mental development a department, not a footnote. As I have written previously, we need to be world leaders in mentality training and lead the way in football, that's in the dark ages in this area. This is one of the key things I was teaching 13 year olds without them knowing it.

2. Promote Internal Leaders, Not Just Star Players

• The All Blacks made everyone a decision-maker.

• Can Spurs do that with Archie Gray, Micky Van de Ven, or Lucas Bergvall?

• Developing “football IQ” inside the squad is as vital as skill drills.

3. Don’t Excuse Ego for Talent

• Players who disrupt team focus are out — no matter their ability.

• Spurs fans sometimes romanticize “mavericks” who let the team down mentally.

• Imagine if Dele or Tanguy Ndombele had been required to lead culture sessions. Sink or grow.

🕵️‍♂️ WHAT FANS DON’T SEE OR KNOW ABOUT THE ALL BLACKS

● They Had Sports Psychologists Long Before it Was Trendy

New Zealand embedded psychological coaching decades before others — not just for “struggling” players, but for everyone. Decades, that's how far behind the times Tottenham Hotspur are, football is and football fans are.

● Internal Selection Panels

The All Blacks sometimes involved senior players in selecting squads or touring groups. It made selection about standards, not popularity.

● They Used Storytelling to Build Legacy

Every camp begins with All Black history: past greats, what it means, who came before. It taps into purpose.

That’s identity. That’s why they play like their lives depend on it.

⚪ WHAT IF SPURS BUILT THEIR OWN ALL BLACKS?

Here’s what it could look like at Tottenham Hotspur:

• Start with a "Spurs Code": written and enforced by players and staff. We have one but the mole proves the rank and file of a company never buy into a mission statement. Are staff taught why they are doing their job, how it fits in the overall picture, how it contributes to success? They have to a part of the journey.

• Sweeping the sheds: symbolic, yes — but start with small humility actions. Did Bissouma have to sweep the changing room after a game or training session after inhaling nitrous oxide? Bring him down to earth - to your humble reality.

• Mandatory vision & mindset training: tailored to football. I have spoken a lot and passionately about this on stacks of occasions - it's essential as far as I'm concerned

• "Legacy sessions": remind players of past legends, family sacrifice, club meaning. Not just a few pictures on a wall, but a group history lesson, instil in them what they are playing to emulate - grow the mystique

• Captain’s group that rotates monthly: to train leadership under pressure. I have highlighted a set of leaders and suggested grooming the likes of Archie Gray for the captains job. Don't just thrust a player into it, build them into it.

• Fan culture sessions: to bridge disconnect and drive belief, not toxicity. But our fans think they are above that! Their view is more important than Spurs' success. Again I have spoken before about the club needing better communication with the fans to show them the journey and progress along it.

If Ange Postecoglou stays long-term...

This is the kind of system Spurs should create.

But...

They should create it even if he doesn't.

Because success isn’t random.

It’s repeated choices.

It’s codified culture.

And it starts when you stop waiting for a moment of glory...

...and start building the success machine.

Proper Supporters Support Bill Nicholson Style

If you haven't read yesterday's article then click the link and delve in:

What kind of "winning mentality" thinks losing league games doesn’t matter?

COYS