Sir Gordon Tietjens

Sir Gordon Tietjens is considered to be one of the finest coaches of any sport in the world.

His coaching and motivation of the World Champion Seven's side made him a legend in the sport. He has four Commonwealth Games Gold Medals to prove it!

Under Sir Gordon's stewardship from 1994-2016, the NZ Sevens team won The World Sevens competition 12 out of the 17 times it was contested.  The Commonwealth Games featured the Sevens in five Games, Manchester 1998, Kuala Lumpur 2002, Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and Glasgow in 2014. Sir Gordon coached his team to win each of the first four Gold Medals and a Silver in Glasgow. They also won the Rugby World Cup of Sevens in 2001 and 2013 under his guidance.  

In 1999 his efforts were recognised by being awarded the NZ Order of Merit, in the New Years Honours List of 2007 he was elevated to Companion of the same order and in the Queens Birthday Honours List in 2013, he received a knighthood for services to rugby.  He was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2012 and at the time they said "Tietjens' roll of honour is without peer in Sevens, and perhaps in the game of rugby as a whole".

Sir Gordon is known for his no-nonsense leadership style and his uncanny ability to spot raw new talent. In fact, he's so good that the New Zealand Rugby Union use him to recruit for their 15-a-side teams. His energy and determination have helped produce some of New Zealand's greatest rugby talent in players like Christian Cullen, Jonah Lomu, Israel Dagg, Mils Muliaina, Ben Smith and Reiko Ioane to name but a few.  He coached 44 players who went on to become All Blacks in the 15-a-side game.

Together with long time captains Eric Rush and DJ Forbes, Sir Gordon revolutionised the way the game was played and made the All Black Sevens the best known international team in the game.

Sir Gordon has many experiences to talk about on and off the field that his presentations appeal to sporting and non-sporting people alike. Whether it's the motivation he injects into his teams, his refusal to accept anything but the best from his players, or his absolute belief in his ability to pick and coach people to be the best they can be. Sir Gordon is a remarkable man with a remarkable track record in sport and working with winning teams.

He published the book "Titch: Sevens is my game: The Gordon Story " in 2006, which has been used as a workbook for many teams wishing to emulate his coaching style.

Sir Gordon stood down as New Zealand's Sevens Coach in September 2016 after 22 years in the role and accepted a role to coach the Sevens national team of Samoa.

Presentations:

• Sport
• Goal Setting
• Motivation
• Team work
• Commitment

Testimonials:

“His talk was outstanding. He showed real passion for his rugby and country. He had strong messages on how to succeed. – Fidelity Life

“Gordon captivated the audience from the get-go and held them for almost an hour. He took time afterwards to talk with individuals. Very sincere. Made a great end to the day” - AsureQuality