Clash of the sevens titans
Cupcakes. Nothing showed the difference in coaching style between Ben Ryan and Sir Gordon Tietjens as much as cupcakes.
Englishman Ryan, who led Fiji to the rugby sevens gold medal at the Rio Olympics, has released his book, Sevens Heaven, detailing the path to that historic win.
Along the way were many battles with New Zealand, moments he loved and looked forward to long before taking the Fijian job.
With those battles came an intense rivalry with Tietjens, a man Ryan deeply respected but ended up coming to blows with.
Ryan dedicates many pages of his book to the battle with Tietjens, talking training methods and coaching philosophies, as well as nutrition.
And one moment sticks out, the moment Ryan says Tietjens spotted a tray of cupcakes in the dining hall at the Las Vegas Sevens and lost his cool.
‘‘A tray had been left out in the dining hall, nutritional information on a card next to it,’’ Ryan writes in the book.
‘‘He spotted it and let rip. This is a disgrace. Do you think this is what athletes should be eating? The cook standing there in the blast zone, wearing a chastened expression, hauled in by his intimidated superiors for another reprimand later on before World Rugby gave Gordon a warning of his own.’’
Ryan had a much different view point to that of New Zealand’s former sevens coach. As a treat, he would often let his players eat fast food at the completion of a tournament.
His attitude was also different in training. He didn’t like to overwork his players in training, something he believed Tietjens did.
It wasn’t conducive to sevens rugby, Ryan said.
‘‘Me and Gordon had a ding dong which he talks about a little bit, in an airport in South Africa, in his book,’’ Ryan told Stuff.
‘‘Everybody has their own take on how we read things, but we certainly had a period where we just didn’t get on and we didn’t talk.
‘‘Beth Coalter, the late Beth Coalter, had a word and said we’ve got to sort that out, and we did. We’re very different coaches with different philosophies.
‘‘New Zealand had some amazing players over that period, and in the book I do talk about my philosophy and how I perhaps saw how they were being prepared, and that’s all down to individual outlooks on how you get the best out of players.’’
The fact is, New Zealand set the sevens benchmark for many years under Tietjens.
They won 12 World Series titles in 15 years, dominating the sport, and had been favourites to take a gold medal at the Rio Olympics only to leave with nothing.
Ryan took a huge gamble in taking on the Fiji job, with the Great Britain sevens job already on the table back in 2013.
He’d enjoyed good success with England, and had the chance to take a team with money and technology at their every need towards the Rio Olympics.
But instead, having been given 20 minutes to make a call on whether he’d take the Fiji job, Ryan took the leap while sitting at an Italian restaurant in London.
He was off to the Islands.
Those battles he would soon be enjoying as Fiji coach were near the top of his mind.
‘‘When I look back, even when I took the job, what I was looking forward to most was those games. The New ZealandFiji games.
‘‘I’d been in the stands as an England coach and even before that, watching as a spectator, and they were the games where things really went to another level.
‘‘I was lucky enough to be pitchside and watch them unfold in my time as Fiji coach. I’m very fortunate.’’
Ryan’s book goes into the never ending battles he had to get his Fijian side up to standard. Battles with the Fijian Rugby Union, with being penniless preparing his side. Internal politics in Fiji, and his relationship with leader Frank Bainimarama are also talked about extensively.
But most fondly, Ryan talks about the relationships he built with his team, ones that will last a lifetime and led him to Olympic glory.
‘‘Everybody has their own take on how we read things, but we certainly had a period where we just didn’t get on and we didn’t talk.’’
Ben Ryan
Sevens Heaven by Ben Ryan ($37.99) is available at all book stores.