Sevens: Academy to mould sevens stars

All Black great Buck Shelford (right) and Wasps Academy sevens director of rugby David Mays (second from right). Also pictured are members of the New Zealand Wasps Rugby Club. Photo / Supplied

A sevens academy will be launched in the Bay of Plenty this year targeting up-and-coming sevens stars.

Sir Gordon Tietjens and Buck Shelford, who are ambassadors for the academy, were on hand at the weekend to help launch the Wasps Academy Sevens programme.

The academy will target young men aged 17 to 20, from across the Bay of Plenty, who have shown plenty of potential as young rugby players.

The main goal is to mould future sevens stars and also to give school-leavers an edge when it comes to transitioning from school rugby into senior club rugby. About 16 young players will be selected for the inaugural academy which will begin next month and run until late February.

New Zealand sevens coach Tietjens said the academy was a great idea that could be used in provinces all over the country.

"Anyone serious about playing sevens at the highest level needs to be focusing on sevens-specific conditioning and game sense. This programme provides this and I'm really looking forward to seeing it evolve," he said.

"It's a pioneering project and a tremendous resource for Bay of Plenty athletes. I'm sure in time other provinces will look to emulate it."

The Wasps Academy sevens programme is being run by the Rotorua-based New Zealand Wasps Rugby Club, and will be based in Rotorua.

The academy's director of rugby David Mays said the players would train with him twice a week as a team, for about four hours at a time, and would also be given personal training and gym schedules.

As an academy, they will play at top sevens tournaments around the country.

All Blacks great Shelford attended a launch at the Rotorua International Stadium at the weekend, and said he supported the initiative.

He said it would help young high school leavers get that edge to move into senior club rugby. "It's vital to bridge the gap between high school and senior rugby otherwise a lot of youngsters will drop out of the game. The kids need to be playing rugby. With this academy they will have something to go to ..."

You can still apply or nominate players to be part of the Wasps Academy sevens programme. Contact David Mays on waspsacademy7s@gmail.com or 021 286 8251.