No guarantee of NZ sevens gold
The New Zealand men’s sevens team are not the All Blacks and don’t assume they’re guaranteed gold at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Coach Clark Laidlaw knows that, saying that New Zealand’s glittering history at the Commonwealth Games ‘‘has no bearing’’ on their chances of winning back that coveted gold medal across the ditch this weekend.
Sevens was introduced to the Commonwealth Games when Kuala Lumpur hosted the first men’s tournament in 1998.
New Zealand were winners that year, beating old foes Fiji in the final, and it was their first of four successive Commonwealth titles until South Africa grabbed gold in the final ahead of the Kiwis in Glasgow in 2014.
The 2018 Games on the Gold Coast will host a women’s tournament for the first time – running concurrently with the men’s event from today to Sunday – but neither of the New Zealand sides boast stellar form during their respective seasons.
Since coming second and first in the World Sevens Series’ opening two legs in Dubai and Cape Town, Laidlaw’s troops have progressed past the quarterfinals only twice in their last five tournaments when finishing fourth at the Hamilton and Hong Kong Sevens respectively.
New Zealand simply isn’t the powerhouse of the sevens circuit the team once was – largely because the competition is far better with the likes of Argentina, the United States and Kenya continuing to improve – and recent defeats to the three aforementioned nations are not surprise losses anymore.
This team is not the All Blacks, and hasn’t won a World Series since 2014, and the hugely successful era under long-time coach Sir Gordon Tietjens (who will coach Samoa on the Gold Coast) came to end after a disappointing fifthplaced finish at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Since winning the Cape Town Sevens in December, New Zealand have finished fifth in Sydney and Las Vegas, in legs either side of coming fourth in Hamilton, and then had to settle for a share of seventh place with Argentina in Vancouver in March.
While New Zealand’s top players were preparing for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, a second string side was sent to Hong Kong last weekend and came fourth but they were trounced 50-7 in pool play by Fiji before finishing the cup tournament with losses to Kenya (21-12) and South Africa (29-7).
New Zealand (third in the series standings) know their stiffest competition for a fifth Commonwealth title will be the usual suspects in South Africa (first), Fiji (second) and Australia (fourth), who can count on vociferous home support on the Gold Coast.
So the fight for gold is fierce, with reigning Olympic champions Fiji returning to the tournament for the first time since the 2006 Games in Melbourne, but Laidlaw said their season has all been geared to hit top form for the Commonwealth Games after going off the boil of late.
‘‘We’ve been frustrated to not make any finals or win any tournaments [since Cape Town] but we’re also realistic in always being prepared in how we structured our year,’’ he said.
‘‘The plan was to win one of the first two tournaments, which we did, and the rest was planned for peaking at the Commonwealth Games.’’
New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games pool in the men’s 16-team tournament includes two sides they face regularly on the circuit, Canada and Kenya, and they start against African minnows Zambia.
The women’s side, coached by Allan Bunting, competes in an eight-team tournament and an Olympic final rematch with hosts Australia is highly likely at some point on the Gold Coast.
Australia beat New Zealand to win gold in Rio two years ago and Bunting said gaining revenge ‘‘would certainly be something if that opportunity does arise’’.
New Zealand were emphatic winners of the last women’s World Series but Australia lead the way this season after victories in both the Dubai and Sydney tournaments.