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You are here: Home » News Comment » Yet Another Newly Announced 15s All Black was a Gordon Tietjens' NZ Sevens Player first. The full list of similar 'Titch picks' really adds up...
The HSBC World Sevens Rugby Series - A truly Global tour but Won by 'Titch NZ teams' 12 times in the first 17 seasons.
30 May 2016
The first 15-aside All Blacks squad of 2016 has been released by the NZRU. Ardie Savea is one of 6 confirmed new caps. Which means he’s also now a member of another ‘exclusive’ New Zealand rugby club; those who were picked first by Gordon Tietjens as New Zealand sevens reps. That list is now climbing fast towards 50 players.
Below is my up-date list of ‘Titch’ All Blacks – or rather – the list of ‘he saw them first All Blacks!’
These days life is all about FAQ's; so to clear the air for those people who have often asked me just 'how many 15s All Blacks have first come through the Gordon Tietjens New Zealands sevens coaching teams?' here is the full and definitive list.
Note; While it is true Gordon has been coaching the New Zealand sevens team since 1994 his first involvement with a national sevens selection actually came a year earlier in 1993 with a New Zealand ‘B’ sevens team.
[In the lists which follow an * asterisk means a player had been a 15s All Black before being selected by Gordon Tietjens in an All Black sevens rugby team. (which means prominent sevens players like Eric Rush and Dallas Seymour CANNOT count in a Tietjens' sevens 'list' but others like Todd Blackadder, Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen do]
1993
(GT took NZ7s 'B' team to Fiji) with Eroni Clarke* and Todd Blackadder
1994
(NZ team to Fiji and Hong Kong) with Eric Rush*, Graeme Bachop*, Jonah Lomu and Dallas Seymour*.
1995
(NZ team to Uruguay, Argentina, Fiji, Hong Kong and Japan) with Andrew Blowers, Adrian Cashmore, Christian Cullen, Roger Randle and Joeli Vidiri.
1996
(NZ team to Uruguay, Fiji, Hong Kong, Japan and World Cup qualifying in Portugal) with Glen Osborne* and Caleb Ralph.
1997
(NZ team to Fiji, the 2nd Rugby World Cup in Hong Kong and Japan) with Norm Berryman, Rhys Duggan and Alama Ieremia*
1998
(NZ team to Hong Kong, Japan, Jerusalem and 1st Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur) with Troy Flavell, Rico Gear and Bruce Reihana)
1999/00
(NZ team to IRB World Series I (8 events) and the Sydney Sevens) with Mils Muliaina, Craig Newby, and Paul Steinmetz
2000/01
(NZ team to IRB World Series II (10 events) with Rodney So'oialo and with NZ team to the 3rd Rugby World Cup in Mar del Plata.)
2001/02 (NZ team to IRB World Series III (9 events) with Chris Masoe and Kevin Senio.
2002/03
(NZ team to IRB World Series IV (12 events) and the 2nd Commonwealth Games in Manchester) with Nick Evans, Joe Rokocoko and Anthony Tuitavake
2003/04
(NZ team to IRB World Series V (7 events) with Liam Messam, Hosea Gear and Scott Waldrom
2004/05
(NZ team to IRB World Series VI (8 events) with Sosene Anesi, Tanerau Latimer and Ma'a Nonu*.
2005/06
(NZ team to IRB World Series VII (8 events) and the 4th Rugby World Cup in Hong Kong) with Rudi Wulf, Jerome Kaino*, Mark Ranby* Tamati Ellison and Isaia Toeava.
2006/07
(NZ team to IRB World Series VIII (8 events) and the 3rd Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.) with Cory Jane.
2007/08
(NZ team to IRB World Series IX (8 events) with Jarrad Hoeata, Adam Thomson, Rene Ranger and Ben Atiga*
2008/09
(NZ team to IRB World Series X (8 events) with Israel Dagg and Victor Vito .
2009/10
(NZ team to IRB World Series XI (8 events) and the 5th Rugby World Cup in Dubai) with Julian Savea.
2010/11
(NZ team to IRB World Series XII (8 events) and the 4th Commonwealth Games in Delhi) with Beauden Barrett, Zac Guildford* and Ben Smith*
2011/12
(NZ team to IRB World Series XIII (8 events) with Frank Halai
2012/13
(NZ team to IRB World Series XIV (9 events) and 6th Rugby World Cup in Moscow) with Charles Piutau, Waisake Naholo and Ardie Savea
2013/14
(NZ team to IRB World Series XV (9 events) and to 5th Commonwealth Games, Glasgow). No 15s All Blacks from the sevens teams of that year.
2014/15
(NZ team to World Rugby (formerly IRB) World Series XVI) No All Blacks 15s players from the sevens teams of that year.
2015/16
(NZ team to World Rugby World Series XVII. Augustine Pulu* added.
SUMMARY
TOTAL; Tietjens 7s selections who became 15s ALL BLACKS after being first picked by GT; 42
(plus 13 who he later included in his 7s teams after being chosen first by other selectors as 15s All Blacks)
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Comments 0
What a game it was; watched by 109,878 fans in Sydney. Jonah Lomu scored the winner. 39-35 to NZ but the Aussies loved their role in this classic and named it well!.
KELLEHER, KEVIN
An Irishman and one of rugby’s best performed referees, in charge of 23 internationals from 1960 to 1971. Kelleher had a very successful career as a referee, but he is largely remembered for being the man who sent Colin Meads off at Murrayfield during the Scotland v New Zealand match in 1967.
Kelleher ruled that Meads’s lunging kick at a loose bouncing ball near the Scottish flyhalf, David Chisholm, was dangerous and, having previously issued a warning in the vigorous encounter, he dismissed Meads. As the New Zealander was arguably the world’s most famous player at the time, the sending-off created a storm.
Ironically, Meads and Kelleher became friends and for many years exchanged Christmas cards. Kelleher was flown to New Zealand in 1988 to appear on the TV show ‘This is Your Life – Colin Meads.’
Although New Zealanders poured scorn on Kelleher as a referee, they tended to overlook his exceptional record with the whistle. Kelleher’s first international was Wales v Scotland in 1960, and his last was France v Scotland in 1971.
Piri Weepu played 71 tests for the All Blacks; how many times did he play for the full 80 minutes?
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