As winners on Saturday afternoon of the IRB World Sevens Series climaxing at Twickenham, New Zealand proved themselves unrivalled champions of the tournament for a fourth year running.

With only South Africa, Samoa and Fiji having stood in their way of lifting the World Sevens crown in the last ten years, the All Blacks continue to position themselves as the benchmark to which all other nations aspire.

The next competitive stop for New Zealand is their opening game of the Commonwealth Games group matches against an ever-improving Canadian side, incidentally a repeat of the Glasgow Sevens World Series final played at Scotstoun Stadium on May 4.

Speaking in an interview as part of a day in the life of the All Black sevens for a New Zealand TV channel, team coach Sir Gordon Tietjens gave an insight to his squad's preparations prior to every competition. Giving nod to the team's performance bar, he said: "We play every game in every tournament as if it were a final. There are no givens in modern day rugby sevens. There are so many teams that are progressing, that are competitive and are capable of taking something from each other."

Despite having coached over 40 sevens players who have progressed to an All Black 15-a-side team during his 20-year helm - Jonah Lomu and Mils Muliaina included - Tietjans is very much the instigator of an evolving stage of the sport. Stating the increasing demands put on a player to make the grade as an All Black, he said: "The dynamic of the athlete is changing, in terms of what he has to be now. The players need to all be very explosive and very fast."

With a squad of 20 players ready to pull on the All Blacks shirt at any given moment during competition, Tietjens added, "Building depth in the squad is crucial, that's where conditioning comes in. We have full time players, and we've found over the years that due to the intensive conditioning, being in a full time role as a sevens player won't allow you to play 15s. It's just not possible now as sevens is such a conditioned rugby programme."

From a player's point of view, All Black sevens captain DJ Forbes added to the observations of his coach. He said: "The game is really evolving. Players perform in more positions than in the full game. A full skill set requires they have to be a halfback, a lock in the air, a flanker on the ball and a winger.

Mark Harvey, the All Black sevens fitness coach, is just one of many working behind the scenes who contribute to keeping New Zealand at the zenith of the game. Speaking of the formula that works to its full potential for the squad, he said: "We've got nutritionists and mental skills for the players. The resources are all there. The players, as well as being physically fit, they've got to be mentally tough."

Tim Mikkelson, All Black sevens winger and last year's IRB Sevens Player of the Year shares the philosophy that's helped him achieve top player status. He said: "You've got to be on your game, every game. It's all about executing under pressure. That's the pace of the game, you don't get a lot of time like you do in 15s."

The All Blacks have proved themselves supreme in every facet of the sport this past generation, making them a sporting phenomenon and inevitable huge draw at the Commonwealth Games. In the group stages Scotland, Canada and Barbados it seems have the unenviable task of challenging that dominance, though to poetically paraphrase Coach Tietjens himself…there are no givens in rugby sevens.