Tietjens: The hard work starts now
The World Series may be over but the hard work is only beginning for the New Zealand sevens team as the clock counts down to the Rio Olympics in August.
New Zealand wrapped up their latest campaign on the global circuit in disappointing fashion at the London Sevens, suffering an embarrassing an 42-12 defeat to the USA in the Cup quarterfinals before going on to win the Plate section.
That saw the Kiwis finish third overall, 23 points behind champions Fiji, and less than three months out from the Games coach Gordon Tietjens says his squad is a long way off from where they need to be.
‘‘We’ve got about 10 weeks now to put some real hard work in,’’ Tietjens said. "We’ve got a lot of technical areas that we need to work on. We’re also still looking at getting our guys conditioning to the levels they need to be at.
‘‘It’s fair to say also with some 15-a-side players that have come into our scene just recently in Rieko and Akira Ioane, Augustine Pulu and Pita Ahki, they’re not yet sevens fit. By the time they come around and get up to those levels on top of the other players as well we’ll be a different team, I’m sure.’’
Reflecting on the tournament at Twickenham, Tietjens admitted his side ‘‘didn’t turn up’’ against the USA as Perry Baker carved up the Kiwis with a stunning four-try display.
And while pleased with their response in beating England and Argentina to claim the Plate title, the coach said it was a timely reminder of just how competitive the Rio event will be.
‘‘To be good and look at winning any medal at the Olympic Games is going to be about consistency and getting up for every game.’’
New Zealand won tournaments in Wellington, Sydney and Vancouver in a season where injury was a common theme.
From the opening leg in Dubai, which saw only five fully fit men complete the tournament, to the season finale where Liam Messam and DJ Forbes were among those unavailable, New Zealand’s depth was severely tested.
Sonny Bill Williams also picked up an ankle injury early in the loss to the USA but Tietjens did not believe it was too serious.
‘‘Finishing third in the World Series is not all bad in what’s been a hugely challenging season in terms of injuries,’’ he said.
‘‘But it’s been a really competitive World Series, we’ve seen six different winners this year which has really proved globally that the game is growing and the game is becoming more competitive.’’
The London tournament, which saw Scotland pull off a dramatic victory in the final against South Africa to win their first Cup title, was dominated by the presence of Jarryd Hayne.
The former NRL star turned American football player last week announced his decision to leave the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers to try and make Fiji’s Olympic squad.
Hayne made an inauspicious start to his sevens career as Fiji coach Ben Ryan gave him just 15 minutes of game time across the weekend.
And Tietjens doubts he will be seeing him in Brazil.
‘‘It was always going to be tough for Jarryd Hayne. He needs to play in lots of tournaments.
‘‘He didn’t get a lot of game time this weekend and hence he’s not really sevens fit and I believe he may battle to make their side.’’