Gordon Tietjens remains the right man to coach the New Zealand Sevens side despite their latest failure in Hong Kong.

The once all-conquering side's ongoing inability to win a leg of the 2008-09 International Rugby Board's Sevens World Series has increasingly seen comments that now is the time to end Tietjens' long-running tenure as coach.

Since the early-1990s, Tietjens has been the face of Sevens rugby; not just in New Zealand but on the global circuit.

He has coached New Zealand to a trio of gold medal-winning successes at the Commonwealth Games and multiple Sevens World Series crowns.

Throughout his lengthy tenure he has had to put up with a near-annual rebuilding phase.

That has much to do with the fact so many of the talented players he unearths have quickly been promoted into the fully professional Super Rugby arena.

And like all other areas of New Zealand's national game, he also has had the never-ending player drain to contend with.

The amazing thing about the raft of annual defections from Tietjens' Sevens squad is that he has been able to instantly rebuild and continue to excel on the world Sevens stage.

But sooner, rather than later, it had to catch up with the New Zealand side.

And that is just what has happened to date on the 2008-09 circuit.

The latest premature tournament exit occurred in Hong Kong on Sunday night, with New Zealand being downed by Kenya in the quarter-final stage.

And Kenya's second win over New Zealand in the space of two months highlights another factor which Tietjens' growing group of doubters are missing.

The Sevens circuit is no longer a fun-orientated environment.

Having seen how the exposure Tietjens has given so many players during his lengthy run as coach, more and more countries are taking the Sevens series very seriously.

Specialist Sevens squads are now the norm.

So too is specialist Sevens training, with the nation's who have emulated the work of Tietjens rapidly catching up on the master-coach.

Tietjens is on contract with the NZRU through to the end of 2010, in the process signed up to coach at a fourth Commonwealth Games.

He should be allowed to see out that deal regardless of the fortunes of his side in the next three tournaments on the current circuit.

And should he have the passion and desire to carry on past 2010, that certainly shouldn't be discouraged.

New Zealand rugby owes a lot to thank Tietjens and his smart eye for talent for.

What do you think?

Should the slump in fortune of Tietjens' end his tenure as national Sevens coach?