Gordon Tietjens confirms talks with KRU over Kenya Sevens job

Sports
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It will be a dream come through if this happens.
[SIZE=3]WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 21 2016[/SIZE]
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Legendary New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens announces his retirement in Wellington on September 6, 2016, just weeks after his side’s failure at the Rio Olympics. PHOTO | NEIL SANDS | AFP

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By AYUMBA AYODI
Legendary former New Zealand Sevens coach Gordon Tietjens has confirmed he has held talks with Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) officials in the past one week. However, the 60-year-old coach said he won’t be visiting the country on Saturday since no deal has been reached over a possibility of taking over the Kenya Sevens team. Tietjens, who ended his illustrious coaching career with All Blacks after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, said Kenya is among a couple countries that have made contact with him and is excited by the possibility of new challenges. Tietjens was speaking to NZ Herald while reacting to an exclusive report by Daily Nation Sport on Tuesday that quoted KRU chairman Richard Omwela saying they had contacted the legendary coach. Omwela said they were expecting Tietjens in the country for talks on Saturday. Tietjens ended his 22-year reign at the helm of New Zealand after the failed Rio Olympics campaign. Omwela said even though they are yet to get into finer details with Tietjens, they will be glad to have him around.

“We have had initial contacts with him (Tietjens) and he said he is available. We would be glad to have him,” said Omwela. “But remember he has said before that he doesn’t want a full time job after retirement…he only wants to do consultancy.”

http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/rugby/Gordon-Tietjens-confirms-talks-with-KRU-over-Kenya-Sevens-job/1106-3389794-fafoah/index.html

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I think Benjamin should be given another chance

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I concur…

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Their is a big problem with Kenya 7’s since Mike Friday left. Lack of consistency, one tournament we can beat everyone, the next we can’t even do simple passes and we are reduced to an amateur team. This is why i think Ayimba has done his commendable best and getting the world best 7’s coach to replace him wouldn’t hurt. He can still stay on as an assistance to Tietjens as he is only interested in a short contract.

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That is how difficult rugby 7’s is. Even NZ can win this tournament and be flattened by 7’s minnows like Japan in the next. Maintaining a semblance of consistency takes a number of years, the depth of talent at home, technical ability e.t.c. Ayimba is born and bred here, played rugby here and understands it’s history, techniques, difficulties and SWOTs our players offer and are threatened by. Homegrown advantage and tactical nous make him the most qualified for the job. It is time to develop our own, not run to the next available expatriate.

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Whats the time right now i take my evening nap

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In the run up to singapore victory the performance was great. The players were young, new and hungry for victory. I wonder why the management didnt maintain the team afterwards… Maybe ni juu team ina wenyewe

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Exactly they regressed so rapidly that i couldn’t wait for the circuit to end. Even worse their performance in Rio has to be among the worst in several years. Japan hammered us so badly we couldn’t even get out of our own half. England destroyed us like it was our first game on the big stage. Problem is i have noticed that is we are on a roll Ayimba reads the game very well, if we are down he is clueless on how to bring the team back.

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The problem of inconsistency cannot be simply solved by hiring a new coach. The entire rugby infrastructure has to be overhauled.

The typical Kenyan player first touches a rugby ball at high school. This is roughly at 15 yrs of age. At this age, players at more developed rugby playing nations have long dealt with the basics like handling, kicking, passing etc, and are now being trained on higher level tactics like positioning and formations. You will rarely see players from Fiji, NZ, SA etc making basic handling/passing errors on the pitch.

This is the model we should emulate if we are to progress in the long term.

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Yes, this time no excuses, they have 600 million from Sportspesa. Even 100 million is enough (i’m sure even government will top up) to start a good academy that different age groups can periodically use (holidays) to train intensively on the skill and technical ability. Mike Friday started off with the intense bootcamp at Brookhouse conducted by his assistant coaches and it paid off. Now if the do just one academy each year then in 5 years they have 5 academies in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mumias, Mombasa and Nyeri.

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Players walienda Rio kufanya maziara. They were not serious. We need a task master to instill discipline. That is Tietjens.
I agree we need academies. And we need to upgrade facilities and coaching at some select schools and send the budding rugby talent to those schools. This is what South Africa does. They have elite talent development schools like Paarl Gym and Grey college that produce much of the rugby talent there.

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huyo Tietjens amezeeka sana

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sana sana but he is the blue print of Rugby 7’s for 20 years. Huyu ndio Sir Alex wa Rugby 7’s. He has built all the stars, teams and influenced the games all the way to rival nations teams.

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BASI APEWE UNDER 18 TEAM then akuwe ana advise on the senior team .

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Hiyo awesmake, he has other serious offers on the table as well. Everyone wants him but he has a soft spot for Kenya. I remember when we first beat New Zealand in Auckland 7’s kwao, he wasn’t disappointed. He said it had been coming and they had survived many scares against us in the past due to training, skill and composure.

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Kumbe Ayimba is been fired by the union for being too close to President Uhuru and government. I didn’t expect that from Omwela since i have know him as a gentleman. Each player was paid 2.1 million directly to their account including 1.2 million from President Uhuru.

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Benjamin Otieno Ayimba is a man under siege.

This comes after the Kenya National Rugby Sevens team failed to sparkle at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Ayimba whose position as coach has since been declared vacant, says he has no regrets whatsoever and is ready to take full responsibility for the team’s poor show in Rio.

“We went to Brazil way too early, the boys lost it along the way. Our spark just died during the 16 days even before getting to the pitch,” Ayimba explains.
“Working under National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) was one of the most challenging tasks in my decade-long coaching career. Our broke union sold us off to Nock who were not willing to listen to any of our grievances.”

The Nairobian has learnt that despite the poor show, some of the Kenya Sevens players were paid over Sh2 million before even boarding the plane to Rio de Janeiro.
Tier one players received Sh1.2 million from President Uhuru, plus an additional Sh750,000 from the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts, besides Sh60,000 local allowances. In total, tier one players took home at least Sh 2.01 million each while tier two players were paid approximately Sh1.73 million each. All funds were directly wired into the players’ accounts by the government. Ayimba claims he is now being hunted by the union for being too close to State House and often speaking freely with President Uhuru.

“Upon our return from Brazil, the union summoned me for a review of the season, but to my shock, the meeting turned into a vetting session with directors asking why I went to State House and how much the boys were paid.

Some wanted to know why the money was not directly paid to the union which is the employer. But how could we trust them after they deducted over 30 per cent of the Sh10 million President Uhuru awarded the team upon winning the Singapore Sevens?” Ayimba posed. As Safari Sevens rugby tournament kicks off this weekend, Ayimba is left on his own with little communication from his bosses at the union headquarters along Ngong Road, Nairobi.
Ayimba’s dependable squad of elite players have also sworn to keep off the tournament, leaving him and the technical bench with captain Andrew Amonde and Willy Ambaka. And if you are a fan of Kenya Sevens, do not expect to see world top try scorer Collins Injera in action this weekend at Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani. His brother Humphrey Khayange too will once more not be available for a tournament that is gradually losing its sparkle. Oscar Ouma, the sensational Samuel Oliech and the likes of Biko Adema, Dennis ‘Ghost Worker’ Ombachi and Oscar Ayodi, who are all away either on holiday, nursing injuries or have had enough of the union’s broken promises, will also not turn up. With his job on the line, Ayimba says that the players would have loved to play on Kenyan soil, but after a long tiring season, no one wants to play when the union has not said anything about their unpaid bonuses.

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Reading that story it seems the Union just wanted a cut of the money that Uhuru gave the players. This happens all the time since as far back as the 1970s. The players work hard and the empty suits eat the money. I am glad Uhuru gave the money to players directly.