Henry helps solve Gear standoff

Rico Gear

A timely word from All Blacks coach Graham Henry played a part in expediting the drawn-out "will he, won't he" Rico Gear saga.

The All Black wing confirmed yesterday he will stay with Tasman for the inaugural Air New Zealand Cup and is listed to play against Manawatu in Blenheim on Saturday.

He is one of 14 All Blacks released for the third round of cup games this weekend.

It's been an odd week for Gear and Tasman, during which Gear seemed poised to bail out of his contract with the new franchise in a bid to play for Canterbury, where he and his wife live.

He told Tasman officials he would not be able to play against Auckland last weekend as he had a sore ankle but resolution arrived yesterday, and maybe it was no coincidence it followed a remark by Henry on Tuesday when the All Blacks had their two-day camp in Christchurch.

"I think it's getting to a conclusion," Henry said of the standoff. "But he hasn't played for a while, so it would be good if he played."

The conclusion is, a spot of Henry-speak helped push things along. Tasman chief executive Lee Germon said yesterday it was "a bit of a relief" to have the issue resolved.

"The fact he's been released from the All Blacks for this weekend means he came to a decision quicker than he might have.

"We're pleased. From our perspective it's the right decision for Rico to make."

Gear, 28, moved south from North Harbour in 2004, but as Canterbury signed No 8 Mose Tuiali'i, under the rules they could not contract another current All Black.

So Gear signed for Nelson Bays, which neatly circumvented the regulations and kept him in the Crusaders franchise. He played four games for Nelson Bays last year and equalled the Super 12 season record of 15 tries for the Crusaders.

This year, halfback Kevin Senio was the current All Black signed so Gear is back at Tasman. But while All Black lock Chris Jack - shipped north by Canterbury to meet salary cap commitments - has settled in and made a huge contribution, says Germon, Gear made it clear he wanted out.

It seems word reached Gear and his adviser Warren Alcock that it was time to sort out what was becoming a shabby mess.

Germon hopes Gear, who is the form All Black wing and has scored eight tries in 13 tests, will be available for up to four games this season. He said talks with Canterbury over what would have seemed a bizarre loan arrangement never materialised.

"The first decision was for Rico to make a call on where he wanted to play his rugby, so there was no need for the next stage," he said.

Germon believed Gear's desire to stay in Canterbury related more to wanting to spend more time at home rather than a reluctance to play for the fledgling Air New Zealand Cup union.

Tasman coach Dennis Brown has put Gear in a four-strong bracket for the wing and centre jobs, with one to be omitted.

Auckland coach Pat Lam has the option of playing any or all of five All Blacks against Taranaki in New Plymouth on Saturday, while their hosts have both Jason Eaton and Andrew Hore available.

At North Harbour, Allan Pollock can pick Luke McAlister and lock Greg Rawlinson for the trip to Bay of Plenty, but not Tony Woodcock.

Wellington have a bye this weekend, but flanker Jerry Collins, who abhors missing games, and halfback Piri Weepu, getting over an injury, are free to play Saturday club rugby.

All Blacks players free to play Air New Zealand Cup matches this weekend:

Auckland: Doug Howlett, Joe Rokocoko, Isaia Toeava, Sam Tuitupou, Ali Williams

North Harbour: Greg Rawlinson, Luke McAlister

Canterbury: Scott Hamilton, Greg Somerville, Reuben Thorne

Taranaki: Jason Eaton, Andrew Hore

Otago: Anton Oliver

Tasman: Rico Gear Wellington have a bye, but Jerry Collins and Piri Weepu are released for club games