With Gordon Tietjens’ New Zealand Sevens contract up, what does the future hold?

OPINION: Gordon Tietjens’ contract is up with the New Zealand Sevens team after a disappointing Olympic campaign. Who could lead the team into the future?

BEN RYAN

Pros – Ben Ryan is the best sevens coach on the planet. He implemented a few strict rules with the Fijian sevens side and turned them into Olympic gold medallists and back to back world series champions. If he can do that in Fiji, what could he achieve in New Zealand?

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Ben Ryan has transformed Fiji into Olympic gold medallists.

Cons – Ryan isn’t a Kiwi. It’s unimaginable that New Zealand Rugby would appoint a foreign All Blacks coach, given the depth of coaching talent available. Is that philosophy the same for the New Zealand Sevens team? It says a lot if that is the main con, though.

SEAN HORAN

​Pros – Horan has led the New Zealand Women’s Sevens side for several years now, winning three straight world series titles. He knows how the national programmes work, and has spent time with the New Zealand men, including at the Cape Town leg in 2015.

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Sean Horan led the New Zealand women to silver in Rio, and has three world series titles under his belt.

Cons – The women’s side were not without their issues this past season, losing big matches to Australia and failing to win a tournament. They settled for silver at the Olympics. When the pressure is on, can Horan get his side to lift and win the big matches?

SCOTT WALDROM

Pros – Scott Waldrom has done wonders with Wellington’s sevens programme, leading them to a national title in 2014 and to the final in 2015. As a former New Zealand Sevens player, he knows what to expect from the highest level of the sport.

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Scott Waldrom has done wonders with Wellington, and his sole focus has been sevens coaching of late.

Cons – Waldrom’s Wellington have had a lot in common with New Zealand sides of late, boasting big bodies which dominate the breakdown. Is that down to personnel or personal style, because the physical gameplan hasn’t worked for New Zealand in the way we’d hoped it would.

TOMASI CAMA

Pros – Tomasi Cama is one of the most successful sevens players of all time, spending a decade playing under Gordon Tietjens. He’s a coach himself, leading Manawatu in the national tournament, and is New Zealand’s video analyst, so has a foot in the camp already. He’s be as close to an assistant coach as Tietjens has.

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Tomasi Cama is one of New Zealand’s most capped players, but has moved into coaching.

 Cons – Despite his years of knowledge from playing the game, Cama is still relatively new to coaching and may not be ready for a step up. It may not even be a role he wants.

GORDON TIETJENS

Pros – Undoubtedly, Gordon Tietjens remains one of the best sevens coaches on the planet. With a lack of speed, Tietjens built a team that could still defeat the speedsters of the world series in 2016 using power. Not many know how sevens works like Tietjens.

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Gordon Tietjens has coached New Zealand for more than two decades.

 Cons – Tietjens has been doing this for more than two decades, and maybe it’s time for new ideas. The game plan looked tired at times, and there were moments Tietjens looked too stubborn to change his style. There were also rumours the team culture had hit hard times.