Tietjens bids Yates fond farewell
Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:31
Better drilled, stronger, fitter. New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens makes no bones about the fact that his side's physicality and fitness is what sets it apart.
The training sessions are stuff of legend and the players' muscled physiques – seemingly carved from granite as they perform victory haka after victory haka to gob-smacked spectators, and sometimes opponents – bare testament to the fact that they are without peer on the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series when it comes to lung-busting preparation.
To say that the 42 consecutive victories, and seven titles, are a product of mere muscle, though, would do captain DJ Forbes and Tietjens a disservice. Forbes has drawn the players close to him, a band of brothers, while Tietjens' commitment to the New Zealand Sevens cause could never be questioned.
This is a man who thought long and hard before committing to his all-time Hong Kong Sevens seven, poring over multiple combinations before deciding who his third forward should be or whether to play Serevi at scrumhalf or first receiver. And the same attention to detail is lavished on his side.
Every part of Tietjens' squad is thought out and painstakingly selected. Halfbacks Tomasi Cama, Lote Raikabula and Nigel Hunt are customarily sharp and astute in the mould of Valence and Ai'i before them. The quick men out wide know their job, as do the big men in the scrum, Edwin Cocker, Steven Yates and outstanding skipper Forbes.
On more than one occasion Tietjens has alluded to the misfortune of Solomon King in currently being the fourth-best Sevens forward in New Zealand. By any standards the ranking bestowed on King is an accolade, all the more so from Tietjens, and yet it also means that he seldom starts a game. So confident is Tietjens in his marauding trio of Cocker, Yates and Forbes that he has started them as a unit in every one of the seven consecutive Series finals that they have won since May.
As back row forwards, the physical requirements come naturally to Cocker and Forbes, but Yates' ability to command one of Tietjens' three prized forward places as a 15-a-side wing is rare indeed.
"We've been together for a while now and things are really starting to click for us," said Yates.
"We've been building, and then some new players like Victor Vito have come in and added something completely different. We've got an environment which we seem to be thriving in, our gameplan is working and it's just going really well."
Even as a forward, Yates was the top try-scorer at the Hong Kong Sevens with eight. He offers his coach a potent mixture of brute strength, technique at the break-down and pace out wide. While wishing Yates all the best as he embarks on a new life in Japan after this Adelaide event, Tietjens will wince slightly at the acknowledgment that success comes at a price. Yates was spotted playing the Sevens game and more will surely follow.
"We've been in New Zealand for a while and I recently got married, so it was time for a change," explained Yates, who won't be the only New Zealand Sevens player heading to Japan with former captain Tafai Ioasa set to make the move in June.
"I thought I'd give Super 14 one more crack and missed out on that so I thought it was probably a good idea to go and try out my rugby somewhere else. Toyota gave us a good offer and we've taken it, so it'll be something completely different. I love the Sevens and it is a really good stepping-stone for us to really grow in our rugby."
Yates has been impressed by the Japanese league on the television and it's also not too far for a New Zealander to go. He's also excited by the prospect of joining forces – and probably competing for a starting wing place – with Fijian William Ryder, who also made the move to Japan off the back of impressive Sevens form.
This weekend the honour of bidding to end the kiwis’ run at the Adelaide Sevens falls to Scotland, Argentina and the Cook Islands on Saturday at the city's famous cricket Oval. The physical gameplan seems simple enough to carry out, and devilishly difficult for the opposition not to become tangled up in. For Yates and his team mates the challenge will no doubt once again be understated and clinical.
"We try not to think too far ahead, just go a tournament at a time, a game at a time. Every team is different and if you don’t come out firing you could easily get tipped up and it's lucky that that hasn't happened to us yet.
"It's a momentum build at the moment, an awesome ride, and it just keeps on going."
