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Sam Agars

It’s been over four years since New Zealand’s spine-tingling haka in the rain at the 2014 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and they celebrated their return to the top of the game with an equally emotional version on Monday.
The All Blacks Sevens remarkable Rugby World Cup Sevens victory in San Francisco evoked memories of them at their dominant best earlier this decade, with DJ Forbes at the wheel and the other teams making up the numbers.
They won four HSBC World Sevens Series on the trot between 2011 and 2014, with master coach Gordon Tietjens pulling the strings.
But then things started to turn stale and New Zealand slipped to third in the World Series in 2015, remaining there at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Haka: @AllBlacks7s perform incredible haka after winning a historic third #RWC7s pic.twitter.com/NAKAmiYeA3
— Rugby World Cup Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) July 23, 2018

What seemed like a slow decline gained steam when the Kiwis lost to Japan in pool play and then bombed out in the quarter-finals at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Tietjens stepped down just weeks after the Rio disaster and Forbes retired last year, ushering in a new era for New Zealand.
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: Fiji blitzed in bronze final as New Zealand dominate England in Cup decider
Interim boss Scott Waldrom – who kept the seat warm until now-coach Clark Laidlaw took over last June – flagged wholesale changes after the Kiwis finished fifth at last year’s Hong Kong Sevens.
“There is certainly going to be some big changes between now and the start of next season around how the system looks,” Waldrom said in 2017. “He [Laidlaw] will come in and we are going to move into a centralised programme which will certainly make a big difference.

“It will see the guys living in the same area and spending more time training together rather than as individuals out in their provinces.”
The move to bring the team together has certainly paid dividends, and likely quicker than even those on the inside could have imagined.
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: schedule, dates, teams, scores, fixtures, matches, times for San Francisco
Victory at the Commonwealth Games in April was the beginning of the revival and their 33-12 trouncing of England in the weekend’s final was the culmination of a superb turnaround.
Yes, New Zealand are arguably the world’s most fervent rugby nation and have a seemingly endless talent pool, but something was out of kilter with the sevens programme before Laidlaw stepped in.

Incredible scenes as @AllBlacks7s co-captain Tim Mikkelson surprises fan with his match boots #RWC7s pic.twitter.com/DkGvvwcfCg
— Rugby World Cup Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) July 23, 2018

Just minutes after New Zealand won their third Sevens World Cup – becoming the first team to do so in the process – veteran Tim Mikkelson paid homage to the new environment created by the Scotsman.
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: New Zealand win women’s title as Black Ferns perform spine-tingling Haka in San Francisco
“Credit to the coaching staff, Clark has come in and he’s big on culture and he has really brought the boys together,” Mikkelson said.
It was a remarkable tournament for New Zealand, with the men’s and women’s teams securing back-to-back World Cups, and both after failing to win this year’s World Series.

While the women finished only two points behind Australia, New Zealand’s men were a distant third behind South Africa and Fiji after only winning a single leg.
But one would expect Laidlaw’s charges to reassert their dominance on the circuit next season in a bid to keep the momentum going until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: Fiji A v Japan’s Fiji B puts Pacific Island talent drain in the spotlight
Or, on the other hand, they can keep plodding along on the series and picking off the major tournaments.
Either way, the All Blacks Sevens are back and it shouldn’t be too long before Hong Kong Stadium – or the Kai Tak Sports Park – sees another haka.


Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: Hong Kong needs Kai Tak Sports Park stadium to keep top dog status, as San Francisco proves

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 hot takes: format frustrates, Fiji flop, haka back for All Blacks, Michaela Blyde the best

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: watch highlights of England vs New Zealand final, Fiji, Joe Ravouvou try, and all fixtures

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: All Blacks haka after win vs England caps incredible New Zealand turnaround

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018

New Zealand perform the haka after winning the men's final at the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Photo: USA TODAY Sports

Jul 22, 2018; San Francisco, CA, USA; New Zealand poses with the champions trophy in the men's championship final of the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

***FOR NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY*** =NO BLOG USE= Team New Zealand perform Haka to celebrate their win at Cup Final match vs. Team England at the Final day of the Cathay Pacific/ HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens 2014 Sunday, March 30th, 2014, at the Hong Kong Stadium, Causeway Bay. 30MAR14

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: Fiji blitzed in bronze final as New Zealand dominate England in Cup decider

Fiji’s Kalione Nasoko is swamped by New Zealand’s Dylan Collier (left) and Tim Mikkelson. Photo: EPA

Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: Fiji chief Francis Kean shut out of San Francisco with US visa denied ‘over manslaughter conviction’

Fijian fans at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco. Photo: EPA

Ben Ryan, former Fiji rugby coach poses for photographer in Wan Chai. 14OCT16 SCMP / Edmond So

epa06901751 Katsuyuki Sakai (C) of Japan in action against Josua Tuisova of Fiji (R) during the Rugby World Cup Sevens Round of Sixteen match between Japan and Fiji in San Francisco, California, USA, 20 July 2018. EPA-EFE/MONICA DAVEY

Francis Kean (right) with Prime Minister and FRU president Frank Bainimarama on the left).

Sport

Rugby

HK Sevens

Performance evokes memories of the haka in the rain at Hong Kong Stadium when New Zealand were at their dominant best


Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Boots and all

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Boots and all | Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: All Blacks haka after win vs England caps incredible New Zealand turnaround

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Performance evokes memories of the haka in the rain at Hong Kong Stadium when New Zealand were at their dominant best

Boots and all | Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018: All Blacks haka after win vs England caps incredible New Zealand turnaround

Performance evokes memories of the haka in the rain at Hong Kong Stadium when New Zealand were at their dominant best