Door shut on Johnson's 7s selection
New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens ended speculation about Rugby League superstar Shaun Johnson joining Sony Bill Williams in an all-star Sevens team at the Olympic next year.
Johnson, winner of the Rugby League Golden Boot award for best player in the world, has been listed in the media as one of the players on the New Zealand Rugby Union wishlist for next year's Games in Rio.
Williams, who is currently preparing for another boxing bout, is one of several high-profile All Blacks on the wishlist of the NZ Sevens coach, Tietjens.
The others are brothers Julian and Ardie Savea, Liam Messam, Charles Piutau, Ben Smith, Hosea Gear and Victor Vito.
However, Tietjens said on Monday he can't see the Auckland-based Warriors star, Johnson, lining up for New Zealand at the 2016 Olympics.
Tietjens said he would need Johnson to switch codes from Rugby League to Rugby Union, but there is no indication that it would happen in time.
"He would excel at the game of Sevens, no question about that," Tietjens told RadioLIVE.
"However, for him to have to be considered he would have to be playing Rugby Union and that's really what it comes down to," Tietjens added.
"I couldn't go offshore and pick someone who's not involved in rugby, I think that would be quite unfair."
Any players who are keen to play Sevens at the Olympics need to commit to the cause by May this year.
Source: RadioLIVE
