Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games
All Blacks Sevens looking at Super Rugby stars
ESPN Staff
May 15, 2014
DJ Forbes will lead the All Blacks Sevens in Glasgow © Getty Images
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Sir Gordon Tietjens expects to take the bulk of his IRB Sevens World Series-winning All Blacks Sevens squad to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with Super Rugby personnel potentially added to the mix.

But Tietjens says the selection of Super Rugby players will depend on where their teams are sitting on the ladder and if they can make the transition from the 15-a-side game in a short timeframe. The Commonwealth Games event is staged on July 26 and 27, a fortnight after the final round of the Super Rugby home-and-away season and the same weekend as the semi-finals.

Tietjens had All Blacks Ben Smith, Liam Messam, Hosea Gear, Adam Thomson and Zac Guildford in his side for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, but that tournament was in October.

New Zealand will stage trials at Mt Maunganui in June, and Tietjens says selection will be a balancing act with the line-up to be built around a core group of players who have done so well during the World Series. He says there has been plenty of interest from Super Rugby players about going to the Glasgow Games.

"Some have played for me in the past," Tietjens said. "But it's whether they can make that transition in that short space of time and it depends on where their team sits in the Super Rugby table."

Tietjens noted also that Sevens has evolved over the past two years to become more physical and confrontational.

"If you notice the team I've got now, they are really tall, big, quite powerful, very, very fit, and that's the way the game is going," Tietjens said. "You have to be so good in contact now. A lot of teams are looking to counter-ruck at the post-tackle, so that's a real challenge in itself."

Tietjens has confirmed that Blues utility Lolagi Visinia and midfielder Pita Ahki are on his radar, while noting that other Super Rugby players such as Frank Halai, Ardie Savea and Tim Nanai-Williams would boost the pursuit of gold.

Crusaders back Adam Whitelock is also hoping his brief experience of international Sevens can be a stepping stone to the Commonwealth Games. But The Crusaders have climbed to fourth on the back of a five-game winning streak, putting the seven-time Super Rugby champions in line for another play-off appearance.

"While I wasn't getting much game time, I was selected in the Sevens squad and was released to go," Whitelock said. "It will depend on injuries and whether we make it into the play-offs, so it's just playing it by ear."

Whitelock, 27, was called into the All Blacks Sevens squad for the final two rounds of the season in Glasgow and London, helping the side successfully defend the World Series crown. And he says the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is a longer-term target.

"I wasn't expecting to go to these tournaments, so it's all happened quite quickly," he said. "I'm trying to keep my feet on the ground because I've played only a few games, but there are some awesome opportunities, and Rio is definitely a big carrot."

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