NZ Sevens get Rio replication
Rotorua has been playing Rio de Janeiro for the New Zealand and Australian men’s sevens teams.
With the Rio Olympics less than a year away, both sides are replicating the conditions they will face when competing at the Olympic Games, while also getting in vital practice ahead of the new season with a six-game series in Rotorua.
For Australia the series has a little more importance than just Rio replication, with their Olympic qualification still yet to be confirmed.
They will need to be in top form for the Oceania Sevens in Auckland in November where qualification is on the line having to beat Samoa in particular to secure their tickets to South America.
New Zealand are using the series to test young players ahead of the 2015-16 World Rugby Sevens Series season, while also researching how best to prepare for the Rio Olympics. The squads are staying in Mount Maunganui and driving more than an hour to Rotorua for the games, replicating the long drive between the Rio Olympic village and the Deodoro Stadium.
Coach Gordon Tietjens said that since last Sunday the squad have travelled to Rotorua for training sessions, and on Tuesday the management team will sit down to determine what improvements can be made on the unique challenges the Olympics will provide.
‘‘Everything this weekend will replicate Rio,’’ Tietjens said.
‘‘We’ve done it from when we assembled last Sunday night. We’ve trained over here every day, so we’ve travelled an hour and a quarter which is what we travel from the Olympic village to the venue to play. All the recoveries, everything we do here replicating what we’ll do in Rio.
‘‘On Tuesday we’ll sit down, reevaluate, and look at the areas we need to do better or areas that perhaps worked well for us. That’s what it’s about, this entire weekend.’’
Tietjens said the big learnings will be on the second and third days of the series, when players are nursing niggles and sore bodies on that torturous van ride to Rotorua.
‘‘Travel is always a challenge. How you bounce back after spending an hour and a quarter in a car, getting here, getting the bodies up and going.
‘‘It’s going to be a lot different [Sunday] when you get here and the bodies are all sore, it’s harder to get up.
‘‘We thought this was a great opportunity to trial for Rio, and for Australia it’s about qualifying for the Olympics.’’
Away from the Olympic experiment, Tietjens was also looking at some fresh faces against Australia, as well as some old ones looking to secure contracts for the coming season. Auckland’s Varasiko Duisokosoko looked impressive in the opening match against Australia, as did big Waikato wing Luke Masirewa as New Zealand won 52-22.
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