Sevens: Mount look to claim Club Sevens

Mount Maunganui's Jessie Dodunski in full stride against Rangataua in last November's final of the Bay of Plenty Baywide Club Sevens tournament.

Mount Maunganui Sports are one of the favourites to take out the New Zealand Club Sevens tournament hosted by defending champions Wainuiomata this weekend.

Over the summer Mount Maunganui have won the Mount Sevens, Greerton Marist Sevens and the Gordon Tietjens Cup at the Bay of Plenty Baywide Club Sevens Tournament.

Among the quality squad of 12 players are Bay of Plenty reps Teddy Stanaway, Mason Walker, Matty Axtens, Jesse Dodunski, Masiu Vainikolo and Isaac Te Aute plus Andy Devoy and Chris Elvin who have played provincial sevens.

Stanaway and Te Aute have also worn the All Blacks Sevens jersey.

Coach Paul Tietjens said winning the Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup was their major goal.

"It is certainly a really, really good opportunity for the Mount Maunganui club to express themselves going down to Wainuiomata and I guess puts us on a stage against the best club rugby players in New Zealand," he said.

"I think you will find there will be a lot of provincial players down there with their respective clubs. We went over to Matamata in mid-December and we lost in the final to the Waikato provincial side that played at the nationals, after leading at halftime. So it has been a pretty successful year and the boys have been putting in the right effort which is very pleasing.

"It makes selection lot harder but as a coach it also makes it a lot easier when you have players of that calibre and a side keen to learn and build within the club."

Tietjens is son of All Blacks Sevens maestro Sir Gordon and one of the best young sevens coaches in the country.

"I learn a lot and get mentored by Dad a lot. I pick his brain and ask him lots of questions and I guess we play a similar style to what they play," Paul said.

"I take on board what he is doing with the New Zealand side and modify it to suit. I don't replicate it but make it similar with the players that I've got.

"It would be silly not to as it has been a successful formula for the last few years."

Mount Maunganui will be up against 15 other clubs from around New Zealand.

Most have won their provincial tournaments to qualify, plus invited teams including 2014 champions and Bay of Plenty runners-up Rangataua and Tauranga Sports, who have also entered a team in the inaugural women's competition.

The Middlesex County Wavell Wakefield Cup was first contested in Dunedin in 1951.

South Island clubs won it continuously for more than three decades before Auckland's Pakuranga won in 2013.

Rangataua took it off them in a memorable final in 2014 and Wainuiomata triumphed at Maungatapu last summer.