Isaac Te Aute has been named to play for the All Blacks Sevens this weekend. Following a flawless display from the 19-year-old captain of Rotorua Boys' High School, Te Aute's feats went viral on the internet.
This weekend, the Tūhoe and Te Arawa player will get the chance to secure his Olympic bid in a six-game series against Australia in Rotorua.
Isaac Te Aute is excited to be the latest addition to the All Blacks Sevens Olympic squad.
He's only 19 years of age, but the Rotorua BHS First XV captain has already landed a spot in Sir Gordon Tietjens' training squad.
His 60m try and feats going viral on the internet, but the humble boy is just focussed on the new task ahead.
Te Aute says, “Being able to be national champs in the game of 15, and then coming straight in to camp, it’s been battling with the body.
I can’t really say much really, I didn’t really expect it to go viral. I was just playing footy.”
Te Aute's statistics are staggering, so much so, Tietjens announced today that the youngster will play this weekend against Australia, in Rotorua.
Tietjens says, “He'll definitely get game time this weekend. He'll get an opportunity to play against Australia.”
Te Aute says, “Oh words can’t explain that. It’s always been a dream to put on the black jersey, and play for New Zealand and I'll be really humbled to put on the black jersey.”
Te Aute was shortlisted for the 2015 Working Style Player of the Year and now he's leading the charge of a new generation of youngsters in to the game of sevens, at national level.
Tietjens says, “There's certainly talent amongst the schools, in Rotorua Boys High School. Last year Rieko and Akira Ioane, from Grammar in Auckland, so yeah there are opportunities for youngsters certainly in the game of Sevens.”
Te Aute has already caught the attention of last year’s breakout schoolboy superstar, who quickly rose to sevens fame.
Rieko Ioane says, “Just being in that programme, the Sevens programme. Just the exposure you get and just accelerates your progress on to further, so yeah just up and onwards after you make Sevens.”
Being put through the rigours of the infamous Tietjens training regime, he is relishing being in this new professional environment.
Te Aute says, “Definitely not easy, hardest trainings of my life. It's been a good experience though. You got to put in the hard yards to be on top.”
A place where, after this, he can no longer ignore.