Few, if any, coaches around the world can rival Gordon Tietjens’ record as New Zealand Sevens coach with eight IRB Sevens World Series crowns in nine years, a RWC Sevens title and three Commonwealth Games gold medals among the highs.

But how and why have New Zealand managed to perform consistently better than any other team over such a long period? What has given them the edge?

It goes without saying that Tietjens is a mastermind of Sevens tactics, that he can command the respect of his players and that his players are extremely talented, but over 14 gruelling minutes of Sevens it has been their levels of physical conditioning that has set them apart for the past 10 years.

Tietjens’ training regime is famous in the world of Sevens, to the point where every other coach has, in some small way, taken a leaf out of his book.

“We set the benchmark I suppose and a lot of players and coaches have gone back and said why are New Zealand doing so well here, why are they so fit?”

Tietjens said after his side lost last weekend’s Emirates Airline South Africa Sevens final 12-7 to the hosts.

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