Wallabies Dylan Pietsch and Tate McDermott are very familiar with Sky Stadium, even if they’re used to a lot fewer people on the field.
The two return to Wellington looking to break a two-decade drought of Kiwi dominance in New Zealand after making their Sevens debuts in the capital in 2007.
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The then teenagers were thrust into the Australia squad for the new year’s tournament after guiding the Aussies to a World Schools Sevens title in Auckland.
Further strong performances at the Hottest 7s saw then Sevens coach and incoming Brumbies Super Rugby W coach Andy Friend call the duo fresh out of high school onto the international stage.
“Both Tate and Dylan performed well up at Darwin." said Friend at the time.
"Dylan’s quite a big bloke for an 18-year old; he’s got a good step on him and a good carry of the football - Momentum is his friend and he’s a powerful boy.
“Tate is more of a half, he sees the game of football and has very good feet on him to put people through holes and he can get through holes himself as well.”
Whilst the Australians struggled to a tenth-place finish, it was clear the two young stars were destined for big things.
McDermott debuted for the Reds the following year after featuring for the Junior Wallabies, establishing himself as one of the premier halves in the country since.
Pietsch’s journey involved a longer stint in the Sevens program than his Wallabies teammate, staying for the Tokyo Olympics before earning his Test debut earlier in 2024.
“It was awesome to come out here and play that tournament out in Wellington. I think it was the last year of Wellington,” Pietsch recalled.
“The crowd wasn’t as big as it was going to be on the weekend but good memories and a great place to be.”
Both Pietsch and McDermott made a major impact off the bench in the opening Bledisloe Test in Sydney, with the winger pushing the likes of Marika Koroibete and Andrew Kellaway for a start on Saturday.
"I'd always love to start," Pietsch said
"We gotta respect what (Marika's) done in the past and what he does every week ... I'm more than happy to start but I understand that Marika is there and is one of the best."
