Ambrose Curtis is stopped by Ben Lam in day one of the three-day All Blacks Sevens trials held at Blake Park yesterday. Photo/Andrew Warner
Mount Maunganui's Blake Park has been selected as the venue of choice by the NZ Rugby Union for the crucial trials to select the All Blacks Sevens team to contest the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23.
A camp involving 20 players will take place from June 3-6 at
the permanent home of the All Blacks Sevens trials held before each leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Players not involved with the All Blacks test series against England in June or involved with quarter-final bound Super Rugby teams will be eligible for the trials.
All Blacks Sevens coach and long time Tauranga resident Sir Gordon Tietjens, who has the main field at Blake Park named after him, said it was great for the region and thoroughly deserved.
"This is where we train. We love it here in the Bay of Plenty and particularly here at the Mount," Tietjens said. "It is because of the facilities that Baypark offers us in terms of their indoor training facilities, because of the beach, the hot pools, the accommodation ...everything. All our nutrition is done though Petra-Lee at Sidetrack cafe and that is an awesome part of it as well, and the venue here at Blake Park is first class. So that's why we continually come here and have our trials. We just find we also get unbelievably good weather when we have our camps here."
The All Blacks Sevens squad are involved in a series of trial games on Sir Gordon Tietjens Field at Blake Park today and tomorrow from 10am to 12pm to prepare for the final two legs of the World Series in Glasgow (May 3-4) and London (May 10-11).
