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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 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.
[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 do NOT count in a Tietjens' sevens 'list.']
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 (10)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 and Ardie Savea ('Apprentice All Black' so far)
2013/14
(NZ team to IRB World Series XV (9 events) and to 5th Commonwealth Games, Glasgow) No more All Blacks 15s players at time of writing.
2014/15
(NZ team to World Rugby (formerly IRB) World Series XVI) No more All Blacks 15s players at time of writing.
SUMMARY
TOTAL; Tietjens 7s selections who became 15s ALL BLACKS after being first picked by GT; (+ 1; ARDIE SAVEA - not quite 15s All Black - he toured as an 'apprentice' 15s All Black in 2013) )
= 40 (+1 Ardie Savea)
(plus 12 in his 7s teams who were already 15s All Blacks)
= 52 (+ Ardie Savea)
.....
With Cavaliers players banned a very young NZ team, under their captain David Kirk, and with 11 new test players, beat France 18-9 in Christchurch.
UNDERWOOD, RORY
Royal Air Force, Leicester and England
85 internationals for England 1984–96
6 internationals for British Isles 1989-93
UNDERWOOD, TONY
Leicester, Newcastle and England
27 internationals for England 1992-98
1 international for British Lions 1997
Two dashing brothers who were regular wingers in England’s selections in the 1980s and 90s.
Dealing first with Rory, who was the elder by nearly six years. He was a dashing wing, as befitted his occupation as a flight lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. At the end of his career he had played 85 internationals for England, a record total till beaten by Jason Leonard. His total of test tries scored was also an England record, with 49 scored (plus one in a Lions test) boosting his final total to 50. This placed him second on the all-time test try-scoring record, behind David Campese’s 64 tries. Ironically his final tally of test tries came during a time when England was in a period of playing mostly ten-man rugby. Rory Underwood gained a reputation for being underused on occasions but having a rare talent for scoring tries when the ball did come his way.
Rory was born in Middlesbrough and Tony in Ipoh, Malaysia, the brothers were of part-Chinese origins, a rugby rarity in itself, and they spent some of their childhood in Malaysia. Rory’s first cap was against Ireland in 1984. Most of his caps were won on the left wing, but he could play more than competently on the right side (his English record-equaling total of five tries against Fiji at Twickenham in 1989 came when he was playing on the right wing side).
Rory’s Air Force commitments meant he missed several England tours, which meant his test match tally could have been even higher. This popular and dynamic England star was a member of the England team which contested the three Rugby World Cups, in 1987, 1991 and 1995; he played in three Grand Slam-winning England seasons, plus four Five Nations titles. He played in the 1991 World Cup final at Twickenham after scoring four tries in the lead-up games. He also toured with the British Isles to Australia in 1989 and to New Zealand in 1993.
Tony Underwood first came to the fore in 1989 when he appeared for Barbarians Club against the touring All Blacks at Twickenham. He made the England team for a tour to Argentina the following year but did not play an actual test until late in 1992. As his brother Rory was on the other wing (v Canada at Wembley) they became the first pair of brothers to play in an England team since Arthur and Harold Wheatley in 1938.
The forte of Tony’s game was blistering acceleration and a huge confidence to use it well. He toured New Zealand, with his brother in the 1993 British Lions and the two also shared England’s Grand Slam win in 1995. Tony had a second Lions tour, to South Africa in 1997.
At the 1995 World Cup in South Africa Tony had the extremely unenviable task of marking a rampant Jonah Lomu of New Zealand in one of the semi-finals games. Sadly, for England’s hopes at that tournament, and the memory of Tony Underwood as an international player, the video of him being repeatedly trampled underfoot or run around by the giant-sized Lomu, as he went on to score four tries, has been played over and over again. Tony deserved better than this. At his best he was a top player capable of many good things on the field, and like his brother, one of the best wingers England has ever produced.
Which international rugby player who went to two Rugby World Cups also won two Olympic Games Gold Medals and 2 World Championship bronze medals in a chosen 'other' sport?
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