How Neil Wagner pushed Black Caps coach Rob Walter to come to New Zealand

Sunday, 15 June 2025

Former fan favourite Neil Wagner was a big factor in bringing the new Black Caps coach to New Zealand.

But Wagner soon found out he wouldn't be in for an easy ride just for helping Rob Walter become the new Otago coach.

'When I was at Otago, we were struggling to keep a coach, in a big way,' Wagner said.

'Every time we got a coach, it seemed it was only for a year or so before someone moved on. It was hard to get some consistency and at that stage, I felt that we kind of needed something different, so I was a huge pusher and driver with [chief executive] Mike Coggan to try and get Rob over.

'I remember I was playing in Lancashire in the UK and I had a lot of phone calls with Rob, trying to push the case and saying 'come over'. I knew he was gonna enjoy it and I knew he would be really good for the job.'

Once installed at Otago, Walter showed he was prepared to challenge the side’s established international players, as well as the less-experienced.

'I've had a lot of stuff where Rob challenged me and said things that I guess I didn't like at the time - but it was one of things I needed to hear,“ Wagner said.

'One of the biggest things for me was that I had a different role in the Black Caps and the way I bowl bouncers and whacked the wicket.

'In doing that role, I lost my seam presentation and movement of the ball and a few bits and pieces.

'Rob challenged me to go back to some basic stuff, like real old school, almost like kids' drills in the sense of getting your seam position right and being able to not just be a one-trick pony, but be able to swing the ball and move the ball, rather than just that short-ball tactic.

“Rob challenged me on that and I took it on board. I felt like that was huge, being able to expand your game, and he was a huge driver.”

Wagner had spent time learning from Walter with his university side and South Africa academy team, and continued to hear good things about his ability when in charge of a star-studded Titans team in the republic’s domestic competition.

“I remember the feedback from all my mates and people I was around with was that he was awesome - they loved him and he had a lot of success with them.

“They won some trophies and obviously with good players, which makes it a lot easier, but he played a huge part in that.”

Wagner believed Walter had to make changes to his approach when he came to New Zealand however.

“I've had to go through it myself. You can't try and make this South Africa - it's not the same as the players, you can't sort of handle the same way.

“And I think Rob knew that and he came over knowing that challenge will be there.

“I think he did that extremely well, and that's why I think if you speak to anyone in New Zealand cricket, that's been with him from Otago to CD, people loved it and loved him as a coach and his honesty.

“He's hard-working and has a wealth of knowledge. He did gigs in the IPL, so he’s been around some seriously high-profile cricket players and had huge impacts with all of them.

“I've loved every minute of working with Rob - the knowledge and experience he's got is massive,

“And the way he comes across doing it is the reason that a lot of New Zealand players and people that's been involved would have pushed his case.”

Walter was appointed as Gary Stead’s replacement for all three formats, and his first games as head coach will come next month when the Black Caps play a T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa in Zimbabwe, followed by two tests versus the hosts.

The 49-year-old said his initial aims will be to add some strength and “some small little additions here and there”.

“I think essentially you play as a by-product of what your identity is, and that's also down to the type of players and the way that they see the game. Ultimately it's about creating the environment for the players to play their best game for their country,” Walter said.

“That will potentially result in a more aggressive type of style here and there, but we know the game is not only about aggression, it's about understanding when to make those plays and when the game requires something different of you.

“So I don't see a huge overhaul of cricket - there's no need for it.”

Wagner said the main thing players want is someone who's honest, but feeds you with confidence and lets you know where you stand.

“I think that's one thing that Rob does really well, is that he is an honest person. The things you don't sometimes want to hear, he's very open to be able to say that.

“I think a lot of people have got respect from that side of things, but also he's good with feeding you the confidence and information you need to be able to excel in and to play at the highest level.

“The key thing is how he brings that message across. At this level, I don't think you do a hell of a lot of ‘coaching’, like changing techniques.

“It's more being able to support people, what they need, and it's understanding that there's 15 different individuals that all think differently, all have different needs, everyone's got different attributes.

“You puzzle and piece that together and get people in a group around you, that make the guys feel 10 feet tall and bulletproof and give them the information they need.”