Sir Gordon Tietjens is relishing the prospect of turning Samoa back into a sevens rugby powerhouse.
The 60-year-old will take the reins of the Pacific Island's national side on January 1, when his contract with New Zealand Rugby expires - and his first tournament in charge will be in Wellington.
Tietjens says this is almost the perfect job, as he can base himself at home due to the support he has received by Samoan Rugby.
"The beauty with this is I can still live in New Zealand," Tietjens told Jim Kayes on Trackside Radio.
"I have already appointed a really good assistant coach in Stephen Betham who won a World Series with the team a few years ago. He is a very capable guy and he knows the talent."
Tietjens said he didn't take much convincing to accept the job, especially with the young talent he will have to choose from - and despite a disastrous year for Samoa's sevens team, he is raring to get the team back on track.
"When Samoa talked to me about the possibility to get their sevens programme up, it obviously excited me - I felt really energised. I see it as a great challenge."
Tietjens said the focus will be on selecting players based on home soil - but he and his coaching staff will also cast a wider eye as Samoa looks to build towards the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and the 15s Rugby World Cup in 2019.
"In the ideal world, if they are on the island then that's fantastic. We will look in New Zealand and Australia as well, as the long-term goal is to make the 15s team better."
The 22-year coaching veteran was also drawn to the job because of the working relationship his new employers want him to have with Manu Samoa coach, Alama Ieremia.
They've tasked both coaches with focusing on establishing a home-grown player base, which they believe will benefit Samoan rugby across the board.
"Alama and I will be working together and we will see what's best for each player," Tietjens explained.
"If we can build a lot of the youth that is on the island, then long-term they could play 15s - but it's about giving the young players exposure, and sevens will probably be a priority."
On the possibility of an emotional showdown with New Zealand in Wellington, Tietjens said his return to Westpac Stadium with a different team "will be difficult".
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