Sir Gordon Tietjens 'blindsided' by shock Hayne switch

Jarryd Hayne in action for the San Francisco 49ers. Photo / Getty Images

All Blacks Sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens has expressed his surprise at Jarryd Hayne's shock announcement that he is leaving the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL to pursue a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with the Fiji Sevens side.

Speaking to Andrew Mulligan from Paris on Radio Sport's Crowd Goes Wild Breakfast Show, Tietjens said he was "really blindsided" by the surprise revelation, and that it would not surprise him if Hayne played for the Flying Fijians in the final leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series in London this weekend.

"[I was] really blindsided, it wouldn't surprise me if he turned up to London, I'd be really amazed if they picked him without playing any World Series tournaments," Tietjens stated.

"Perhaps he's going to turn up and play at Twickenham next weekend, unless he goes back to Fiji of course.

"He's obviously not playing American football now, and he wants to go to the Olympics. That is quite special for some players, so perhaps he'll be there, I don't know."

Fiji are currently leading the World Sevens Series standings going into the final tournament of the circuit in London, sitting on 166 points from nine tournaments and in pole position to take the 2015/16 Series title.

A medal for the Fijian Sevens side at this years Olympics in Rio would be Fiji's first ever Olympic medal of any kind, and Hayne could be the decisive player to make that happen.

Hayne played one season in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers, having left the Parramatta Eels and the NRL in Australia as one of the best rugby league players in the world.

The London leg of the HSBC World Sevens Series runs from 21-22 May, with New Zealand in the same pool as Brazil, Russia, and Argentina, while Fiji are grouped with England, Wales and Australia.