Tietjens has the X-factor like no other

If coaches are judged purely on results then Gordon Tietjens is one of New Zealand's best.

Add in vital ingredients like vision, respect and authority and the sevens coach is surely one of the greatest mentors in any form of our national game.

Tietjens' record speaks for itself. He has guided New Zealand to victory on the IRB Sevens circuit every year bar one, winning tournaments in every part of the globe.

He has had world championship and Commonwealth Games success as well.

In his domain, there is nothing more for him to achieve yet he keeps forging on with an undying longevity that seems almost impossible.

Tietjens has the uncanny knack of uncovering incredible talent from the back blocks of New Zealand rugby and turning them into world class athletes.

Thrown into a similar scenario most coaches would be worn out by now. But not Tietjens. He reinvents his teams year after year, working game plans to play to their strength and counter the increasing dangers of his opposition.

But perhaps what is most impressive is the way it is achieved in such an understated fashion.

Think back since rugby went professional in 1996 and New Zealand rugby is littered with off-field disasters at all levels from age-group sides, through the Super rugby teams and all the way to the All Blacks - standards haven't always been maintained with drinking often involved.

But it's hard to recall the sevens side being caught up in any of this. And this despite them operating in some of the 'hot spots' around the world, always playing in tournaments that are marketed for their carnival atmospheres.

Clearly Tietjens demands the best on and off the field.

Tietjens is an old-fashioned coach with a modern understanding. He's working with some very young talent, players who are frequently plucked from his services for higher honours.

Think of the number of All Blacks who have come through his systems - names like Jonah Lomu, Christian Cullen, Rodney Soa'oialo, Bruce Reihana, Ma'a Nonu and Isaia Toeava to highlight a few.

His fitness standards are legendary and it's why players like Lomu and Joe Rokocoko were thrown to him by the All Blacks to knock into shape.

The word is that this year Tietjens has upped the ante even further now that he has recovered from knee surgery and can take a more active part in his training sessions.

There's a world title on the line this year as well as another world circuit to dominate. Tietjens is gearing everything to regaining the world crown in Hong Kong.

He's already got his side off to a flier with wins in Dubai and South Africa. Wellington is next up in early February and he is the sort of coach who laps up the added pressures of operating at home in a tournament that has quickly established itself as one of the best on the circuit.

As usual he'll try to do it with a bunch of relative no-names and as usual he'll probably come away with the title or something close to it.

Tietjens, with that craggy face and awkward gait, has the X-factor - perhaps more so than any other coach currently operating in New Zealand.

In his domain he is consistently the world's best. No other Kiwi rugby coach can boast that.

- © Fairfax NZ News