Selection in the Highlanders was a pleasant surprise for him.
"It was always my goal to try to get to the next level but Jamie's [coach Jamie Joseph] call was a bit out of the blue," Tietjens said. "It was an exciting time when Jamie asked me to come on board."
He was older than most players making their Super rugby debut and thought it had probably passed him by.
The contract was confirmed two days before Manawatu played Hawkes Bay in the final of the ITM Cup.
He admitted being a bit nervous when named in the Highlanders squad.
"It's quite daunting, coming into this environment," Tietjens said. "Jamie told us that nine All Blacks are in the squad and others are established Super rugby players. It's surreal for me to be part of this environment."
He does not expect it to be easy.
"The South Africans are big boys and quite physical and the Australians fast and quick," Tietjens said.
After the ITM Cup finished, Tietjens returned to Perth to catch up with friends and family and did pre-season training before joining the Highlanders in Dunedin this week.
Tietjens played for University A when he was a physical education student in Dunedin from 2005-07, and for Otago B. But he was not able to break into the top team.
He was restricted by Achilles tendon problems.
"I had two bad years and didn't really get going until 2007, but Otago was having financial problems and couldn't offer me a contract," Tietjens said.
He accepted a contract from Manawatu and returned to his old stomping ground, where he played First XV rugby for Palmerston North Boys' High School.
Playing for the Turbos helped Tietjens' career. He learned a lot from Manawatu coach Dave Rennie.
"He is very analytical and breaks the game down," Tietjens said. "I soaked up a lot of information from him."
Tietjens weighed 93kg when he joined the Otago Rugby Academy in 2005. He was 101.4kg when weighed in at Highlanders training yesterday.
The weight went on when he had Achilles tendon injury problems in his first two years in Dunedin.
"All the supplements I take and weight training has helped me retain the weight," he said.
"I like to keep it over 100kg."
His goal for the Super 15 is "to prove myself within the Highlanders team and push for selection in the 15 or 22. If I do not make it straight away, I want to keep pushing hard for a spot."
The player who influenced him the most in his specialist openside flanker position was former Otago All Black Josh Kronfeld and he has also admired All Black captain Richie McCaw.
"I've got my own style, but a lot of little things they do I try to add into my game," he said.
Tietjens enjoyed his rugby in Dunedin and played in two club finals. In 2005, Dunedin beat University A 19-12 and the following year, Alhambra-Union won the banner when it beat the students 23-17.
In the 2005 final, the University A team included All Black James Ryan, future internationals Tom Donnelly and Adam Thomson and first-class players Grant Webb, Matt Berquist and Sean Romans.
"It's good to be back in Dunedin," he said. "I have a lot of great mates from my student days when I flatted in the city."
Tietjens grew up in Western Australia and played Australian Rules in his youth before switching to rugby when he was 17. He was in the Palmerston North Boys' High School First XV in his final two years at secondary school.
He went back to Perth early in 2009 and played two months of club rugby for the Cottesloe Club before returning to Palmerston North.
Fact file
Doug Tietjens
Age: 27.
Place of birth: Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Education: Palmerston North BHS, Massey University, University of Otago.
Occupation: Professional rugby player.
Teams: Palmerston North BHS First XV (2002-03), University A (2005-06), Otago B (2007), Manawatu (2008-11), Highlanders (2012).
Position: Openside flanker.
