Gordon Tietjens

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Gordon Frederick Tietjens, born 9 December 1955 in Rotorua, New Zealand, is a renowned rugby sevens coach. He led the New Zealand men’s sevens team, the All Blacks Sevens, for 22 years and later coached the Samoa sevens team for four years. In May 2012, he was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame, with many saying his impact on the game is unmatched.

As All Blacks Sevens coach, Tietjens won 10 IRB Sevens World Series titles, the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2001, and gold medals in four Commonwealth Games (the team won four of five events, missing only the 2014 final). He added World Series titles in 2013 and 2014, plus a second Rugby World Cup Sevens crown in 2013. He helped develop many players who would become famous All Blacks in the 15-a-side game, such as Christian Cullen, Jonah Lomu, Joe Rokocoko, Mils Muliaina, Rico Gear, Cory Jane, Ben Smith, Rieko Ioane, Israel Dagg, and Liam Messam. He coached 44 players who went on to become All Blacks in the 15s, and he was the last active international coach from the amateur era when he retired from the NZ Sevens role.

Tietjens’ influence helped Sevens reach the Olympic Games, with his contract extended through 2016. He received New Zealand honors for his service: Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (1999), Companion (2007), and Knight Companion (2013). After the 2016 Olympic cycle, he stepped down as All Blacks Sevens coach and became the head coach of the Samoa national sevens team in October 2016. In 2020, he stepped down from Samoa to help the country plan for the future.