Flash Gordon's boot camp just a walk in the park for Ellison

Inexperienced youngsters are normally broken by the severity of New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens' training sessions. So Wellington's Tamati Ellison is something of a rarity.

He's thrived in what has become the toughest boot camp in the game.

Brought into the trials last week after missing the national sevens in Queenstown, Ellison impressed Tietjens with his aggressive defence and stamina.

The 21-year-old, who is in the Hurricanes' extended squad, earned a place in the squad of 15 and will learn tomorrow whether he has made the final 12-man squad that will take part in this week's Wellington Sevens.

Ellison said: "I have been with the Wellington NPC team for a couple of seasons and not had much game time, so I thought it would help with my fitness and also give me a bit of exposure. With the wider training group I don't get a lot of time on the pitch so this was an opportunity for me to get out and play.

"At the moment everyone is focusing on the training because the squad is going to be trimmed. We just train, give it our best and find out what happens. You learn to deal with that."

Ellison has played for New Zealand age-grade XVs at first five-eighths, but is a relative newcomer to the abbreviated code. That he has managed to make such a major impression with limited experience is largely due to the extensive grilling he subjected his team-mates to at the end of last year.

"I went to a couple of tournaments at the end of last year and played with the Wellington team.

"We have a couple of guys - Roy Kinikinilau, Justin Wilson and Tafai Ioasa - who have played for New Zealand so I picked their brains."

New Zealand will start Friday's tournament equal top of the overall table alongside England and Fiji.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY