Be the Inspiration: NZ Men's Sevens

Legendary rugby sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens sees his role as giving players armed with an arsenal of incredible skills the chance to express themselves on the field.

"In sevens rugby, all the space gives them the opportunity to really showcase themselves on a rugby field," says Tietjens, the national coach for 22 years, and one of the most successful coaches in the history of New Zealand sport.

New Zealand players who reach the international stage - like the Sevens World Series or, for the first time this year, the Olympic Games - must have a strong skill set which includes acceleration, speed and vision. 

And accuracy is a vital element in ensuring all of those skills are delivered in the fast-paced game where decisions must be made quickly.

 "Achieving the accuracy we need - whether it's around decision-making or skill sets - is always in the training field," Tietjens says. "I believe as a coach that what you produce on the training field in delivering accuracy, you take out on the field in game time.

 "The accuracy of a sevens player is hugely important around the skills of passing and kicking, and you have to be ready to receive the ball in the air."

 A crucial point of accuracy in sevens is the long, wide pass. With fewer players on the field than the 15-a-side game, but still played on a full-sized field, creating space is an important strategy.  So the accuracy of the long pass needs to be spot-on at the highest level of the game.

 Gordon Tietjens knows this from his wealth of experience. He was a player in the very first New Zealand sevens side to compete at a major international tournament, the 1983 Hong Kong Sevens.

 Since he began coaching the New Zealand team in 1994, the coaching record of the man known as "Titch" has not been equalled. Under his guidance, the men's Sevens have won 12 World Series titles, four Commonwealth Games gold medals and two IRB Sevens world championships.

 And for the first time, the best of our sevens stars - men and women - will get to compete for Olympic gold, in Rio de Janeiro in August.

 In the meantime, the men's side will hone their accuracy during the Sevens World Series, which kicks off again in Wellington this weekend (January 30-31). 

The New Zealanders struggled with a wave of injuries in the opening two rounds of the series before Christmas, but four new players have been called into the squad for the next two tournaments - including All Black sensation Sonny Bill Williams. New Zealand's outstanding try-scorer, Tim Mikkelson, has been promoted to captain the side. 

For Tietjens, who was knighted in 2013 for his services to the sport, it will be a thrill to see his  players line up on the world's biggest sporting stage in Rio. "To see these players able to demonstrate all the skill sets they have built around the accuracy and hard work that they've achieved in making that side to be part of the Olympic Games."