NZ fact-finding trip should yield benefits for Hong Kong, says coach McIntosh
Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but Hong Kong coach Rodney McIntosh is aware he cannot go the whole nine yards and copy everything he witnessed on his 'Seeing is Believing' trip to Wellington last month where he watched how the New Zealand sevens squad get licked into shape.
'It was an unbelievable experience. I have learned so much watching how New Zealand prepare for a tournament, how they approach a big event and what it takes to be the best. But I have to be realistic. We are not New Zealand and there would be a danger in trying to replicate everything,' says McIntosh.
In a bid to learn from the best, McIntosh asked his good friend and Kiwi counterpart, Gordon Tietjens, if he could be part of New Zealand's build-up to the Wellington Sevens. Tietjens had no problem with the request and McIntosh spent a fortnight with the New Zealand squad as they prepared for the third leg of the IRB Sevens.
'I became part of the squad. I knew Titch [Tietjens] had the reputation of being a hard taskmaster, but I was amazed at how hard he made the players work. They are one of the fittest and most technically adept sides around,' McIntosh says.
It was not supposed to be a copycat mission. McIntosh is the first to admit that what he learned cannot be fully translated and put into use by the Hong Kong squad this weekend.
'That would be foolhardy, trying to do exactly what they do. But what was most satisfying was to find that we are not too far off in what we are trying to accomplish. I have a few new technical ideas that we will be looking to implement this weekend.'