NZ sevens programme is at risk of falling behind: Tietjens
The coach has asked NZ Rugby to step up, reports Daniel Gilhooly.
Coach Sir Gordon Tietjens is appealing for New Zealand to centralise its men’s sevens rugby programme or risk being surpassed by better-resourced nations.
Days out from their inaugural Olympic campaign in Rio, Tietjens says it is obvious other teams have closed the gap on 12-time world series champions New Zealand since sevens was added to the Games programme.
The NZ sevens team has finished behind champions Fiji and South Africa in each of the last two world series. Several other nations have made headway following the introduction of a centralised, sevensfocused approach, with the United States the most obvious example.
While New Zealand Rugby offers specific sevens contracts, their time together is limited to short, pre-tournament camps.
Tietjens says that isn’t enough to keep up.
‘‘You have to eat, breathe and sleep it because with our players scattered all around the country, it makes it so, so difficult,’’ Tietjens told NZ Newswire. ’’Other countries specialise, and that’s where they’ve caught up.’’
Tietjens even expects some countries, such as Kenya, to drop 15-a-side rugby from their programme altogether to focus on sevens.
Tietjens says he has petitioned NZ Rugby on the subject for some time and expects a breakthrough within the next two years. The 60-year-old says the recent growth of sevens has even exceeded his own expectations.
He says it can now be a legitimate career option in New Zealand while remaining a pathway for players with Super Rugby and All Blacks aspirations.
NZ women’s sevens coach Sean Horan believes his team is the only regular team on the world circuit not operating under a centralised programme.
However, he believes his team operates well via the sporadic use of team bases in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga.
Meanwhile, Jonah Lomu’s role in bringing rugby back to the Olympics has been remembered in Rio.
Former All Blacks great Lomu, who died last November, was a key figure when rugby lobbied the International Olympic Committee for a place for sevens at the Games seven years ago.
World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper says Lomu’s presence in the final stage of their bid in Copenhagen in 2009 can’t be understated. ’’He was a huge player in the team which ensured the sport came into the Olympics,’’ Gosper said.
- NZN