Former players thrilled for Tietjens

Gordon Tietjens' knighthood has been hailed as "a long time coming" by Tauranga's Zar Lawrence, one of a long list of New Zealand rugby players who owe their international sevens careers to Tietjens' intuitive approach to the game.

Lawrence, plucked from relative obscurity to spend six years in the international sevens spotlight, had huge respect for his old coach who was awarded a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

It was Eric Rush who brought Lawrence into the national sevens camp from which Tietjens selected his 2005 team. "It was my first ever sevens trip away."

Lawrence said Tietjens understood players and what was needed to push them to perform at their very best.

It was all about mental strength and stepping training up to another level when everybody was already exhausted so that binding together was the only way to keep going.

Lawrence's favourite memory was during his first trip with the team. Tietjens turned 50 in South Africa and the team decided to perform a haka at his birthday dinner.

"We were waiting for a tear from this hard man, but it never came."

Another Tauranga ex-sevens international Peter Woods had reason to be hugely grateful for the sheer cheek of Tietjens.

Tietjens had just won selection as the national sevens coach in 1994 and had his eye firmly on three Bay young guns, Woods, Joe Tauiwi and Martin Jones.

In those days the All Black selectors had a big say in who made the sevens squad and their list omitted the three Bay boys. Undeterred, Tietjens simply switched his list for the All Black selectors' list and that became the names read out to the nation.

He wanted players that played his style rather than 15-aside players who tried to play sevens. Tietjens was bailed up afterwards by All Blacks selector Laurie Mains for switching the lists and his international coaching career could have had a different ending if he had not picked a winning team.

"The rest is history," Woods said.

Woods coaches Rangiuru's division one team and Lawrence is still scoring tries for Mount Maunganui.