Tietjens ends remarkable reign

RECORD REIGN: Sir Gordon Tietjens, pictured with Sonny Bill Williams at Blake Park, has stood down as All Blacks Sevens coach after 22 years. PHOTO/FILE A-290316aw02BOP

Sir Gordon Tietjens has finally called time as head coach of the All Blacks Sevens team after 22 years in charge - but it's unlikely to be the end of his involvement in the game.

The 60-year-old, born and educated in Rotorua, but now living in Tauranga, announced his decision to step down yesterday, ending a remarkable reign unlikely to be repeated in sevens rugby or any other international sport.

In an exclusive interview, Tietjens said he never expected it to last as long as it has.

"If you had told me in 1994 I would still be coaching in 2016 I would have thought you were mad," he said.

"It has been a great, great journey obviously with a lot of success along the way and a lot of great, enjoyable times.

"Obviously all of us are tremendously disappointed by the result (in Rio), that's the players and the management team.

"You go into that tournament with a goal of winning a gold medal and we all know how intensely competitive it is now and the Olympics confirmed how tough it is.

"We prepared mentally and physically as best we possibly could. We will have learned so many lessons from Rio and hopefully that will certainly put us in better standings going into the next Olympics."

Tietjens wants the establishment of a central base for sevens rugby in New Zealand.

"That is definitely the key to the future. In Australia if you make the sevens team you live in Sydney, in South Africa you live in Stellenbosch and in Kenya it is Nairobi. It just goes on and on.

"In New Zealand we don't do that. We are scattered all around the country. The only time we get together as a team is at the assemblies prior to the tournaments and that is not enough."

Tietjens believes the University of Waikato Adams Centre of High Performance at Mount Maunganui is the ideal place to base a centralised sevens programme.

"I think it is a fantastic facility. It has everything there now with the grounds, the training gym, the recovery and physio rooms, and is the obvious place to really make the sevens game prosper."

Tietjens is proud to work with players who became great All Blacks such as Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, Beauden Barrett and Ben Smith.

"For me my first gold medal in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, and then to go on and win another three gold medals at Comm Games, are things I am immensely proud of.

"Eric Rush played 13 seasons for me and was an outstanding captain. He was someone I built a very, very good relationship with and he played a big part in creating our culture that played a big part in our success.

"Karl Te Nana, Liam Messam and DJ Forbes continued on those leadership qualities, understood the culture, values and the commitment that was needed."

Tietjens will still be involved in sevens in the future but he is not sure exactly what role he will play.

But you can guarantee he will give it 100 per cent commitment and dedication - just as he always has done for so long to the game he loves.