Rugby: Smith offers sevens defence pointers

Gordon Tietjens talks to his players at Blake Park yesterday while Wayne Smith watches on.

He is the most successful and longest-serving coach in world sevens rugby but Sir Gordon Tietjens loves to challenge himself.

Tietjens has been in charge of the All Blacks Sevens team since 1994 and is always looking for new training routines, how to keep the players motivated and bringing in selected technical skills from outside.

All these traits were evident at Mount Maunganui's Blake Park yesterday on day one of a four-day training camp ahead of the next two crucial legs of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

One of New Zealand rugby's most respected coaches, Wayne Smith, was invited in to help find ways to sharpen the team's defensive strategy.

"Smithy is a great mentor for myself and we do a little bit for each other. He is really, really innovative in terms of skills and is so passionate about the game that it is a huge breath of fresh air having him here," said Tietjens. "He picked up a few really good hints that will help the side.

"I am a coach who will never go away from stuff that has worked for me and challenges and tests the players. Variation is the key ... but I am also looking at new innovations, new initiatives, new grids and obviously getting key people in at different times."

Tietjens was nursing a ruptured tendon in his foot at Blake Park courtesy of a slip on the tennis court last weekend.

But nothing can slow the veteran coach in preparing for the remaining five legs of the World Series with all teams desperate to finish in the top four to gain automatic entry into next year's Olympic Games.

"First and foremost our most important goal this year is to qualify for the Olympics. If we can do well in the tournaments that will take care of itself.

"Nothing changes. We are going in to win every tournament and we treat every game as a final. We do not sit back and take it for granted because we have won the last number of world series.

"I was really happy with our performance over the last two tournaments to secure 41 out of a possible 44 points. That was with new players we brought into the team who have shown they can play in finals situations, like Beaudein Waaka, Rieko Ioane and Dylan Collier. Scott Curry was put into a leadership role with DJ (Forbes) pulling out and he handled that job superbly well.

"There is now a lot of pressure on positions, which has made it really competitive ... "