Rugby: Tietjens eyes Delhi gold

Liam Messam. Photo / Nigel Marple

The coach of New Zealand's sevens team Gordon Tietjens regrets Sonny Bill Williams is unavailable for selection as he seeks to take his team to a fourth straight Commonwealth Games gold medal at Delhi in October.

Tietjens will name his 20-man trial squad today following the announcement of the All Blacks Tri-Nations side. He says it's a shame other commitments, such as a pro-boxing bout this week, obstruct a Williams call-up.

"He would be outstanding as a sevens player. His noted defensive strengths could be combined with his size and offloading ability on attack. He can't be considered because I haven't sent his name [as part of the wider group] to the New Zealand Olympic Committee. His schedule is too complicated until he plays for Canterbury in the ITM Cup."

Tietjens delivered a 30-player wish list for selection consideration some time back. Availability has been confirmed but any All Blacks will be out of contention for Delhi.

That means players a tier down from the All Blacks come into the frame. They presumably include Dwayne Sweeney, Scott Waldrom, Liam Messam, Ben Smith, Alando Soakai and Robbie Robinson. Hosea Gear and Tanerau Latimer could be closer to Tri-Nations reckoning but seem automatic choices otherwise.

One player on the periphery, who played for Tietjens last season, is IRB junior player of the year Julian Savea. It will be a difficult choice for the Wellington and New Zealand under-20s wing. He needs to decide whether to play the provincial championship for the best shot at a Super 15 contract.

Those picked by Tietjens head to a three-day camp tomorrow at Mt Maunganui for the usual series of rigorous fitness tests and game situations.

The final team of 12 is expected to be named next weekend, giving provincial coaches a chance to get replacement players. Tietjens is liaising closely with those coaches so his players do some sevens-specific training as well.

"They're going to need conditioning. They've only got three months if they make the squad to get to the required levels to win a gold medal," says Tietjens.

"My fitness trainer Blair Mills will keep a handle on them across the country. Most will play some ITM Cup and then step out of it."

The squad has another camp on August 23-24 and will assemble in Dubai at the start of October for a pre-Games camp. Tietjens is familiar with that environment, given New Zealand play a world series tournament there every year. The squad then flies into India about four days before the competition starts on October 11-12 at Delhi University.

The team will head into the mildest time of the year in the Indian capital. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 20s and usually October is after the monsoon season so rainfall is minimal.

The sevens players are used to similar conditions around the world but fatigue will still be a factor due to the sheer physical exertion.

The NZOC has appointed Academy of Sport nutritionist Daniel Healey to deal with such matters at the Games. While he's not working directly with the sevens team he says his plans can help nullify the obstacles Tietjens' team will face.

"A couple of key enzymes need replacing once you're above your anaerobic exercise threshold.

"You need to get fast-acting carbohydrates into the system in the first five minutes post-competition then protein for muscle repair, followed by foods that meet fibre and fat requirements after 45 minutes. The intake over four hours needs to be weighed and hinged against an athlete's body weight."

Healey says his team have also developed specific foods to meet New Zealand athlete requirements including a gel, food bar and energy drink optimised for the dry heat conditions.

"The food bar idea was sparked last April when I travelled with the men's hockey team to Malaysia.

"Twenty tired and hungry athletes turned to me for tips on what to eat on the three-hour bus ride so I bought a pile of individually wrapped bread rolls. Unbeknown to me they were filled with anchovies.

"I wasn't popular at the time but it has helped solve a problem long term."