Player power helps stop Gear moving

Rico Gear

Peer pressure played a part in helping Rico Gear stay at Tasman. Text messages from All Black team-mates Chris Jack and Greg Feek urged the All Black wing to stay with the Makos. Jack and Feek pushed the line that the fun element would be higher in Blenheim than in Christchurch.

Gear thought about that while at All Black training on August 7. He'd been cleared to play in the Air NZ Cup and needed to make up his mind whether to turn out for Canterbury or Tasman.

He texted his lawyer Warren Alcock about 3pm that day to say he would phone later to confirm his decision.

When they spoke, Gear told Alcock he wanted to stay with Tasman. Lee Germon, the Tasman chief executive, was informed that night and an announcement was delayed until later the next day so the local paper could get the scoop.

Gear's decision to stay with Tasman was effectively a change of heart. When he signed with Nelson Bays in 2004, his contract had provision for him to transfer to Canterbury in the second year.

"When we were advising Rico in 2004," said Alcock, "our end goal was to get him a regular spot in a Super 14 team on the wing. The Crusaders could accommodate him there and that was the driving force to go south.

"The mechanism to do that was to go to another union, as Canterbury had already signed Mose Tuiali'i that year. It was always the intention that Rico would live in Christchurch. He bought a house there.

"We took the view that we would take a punt in year one of his contract. If everything went to plan, he would make the All Blacks and the end-of-season tour so his involvement in the NPC would be minimal.

"But in year two, we didn't think it would be good for him to be playing division two."

So the plan was simple - Gear would do a year with Nelson Bays, then transfer to Canterbury. But then Tasman was created and promoted to the expanded Premier Division.

The terms of Gear's contract were clear - if he wanted to play for Canterbury on loan in 2006, Tasman could not stand in his way.

But Gear wasn't sure what he wanted to do. The new regulations allowed for him to hold off making a call until he was available to play in the Air NZ Cup.

It is possible for him, despite his appearance for Tasman this weekend, to change his mind and still play for Canterbury later in the tournament as long as he completes the paperwork before the sixth round.

While he was undecided until Monday last week, he had been leaning towards Canterbury. He and his wife were settled in Christchurch and the prospect of travelling to trainings and being away from home didn't necessarily appeal.

Maybe it was lucky for Tasman that, on the Monday after the Bledisloe Cup game in Brisbane, Gear was told by the All Black medics to rest a strained ankle.

If he'd been declared fit that week, maybe he would have committed to Canterbury. It's Alcock's understanding that if Gear had wanted to go, Canterbury would have been able to accommodate him within their salary cap.

Discussions never got that far, though, because the texts started coming from Feek and Jack and the more Gear thought about it, the more he realised how much he enjoyed playing for Nelson Bays in 2005.

"That's a natural dynamic," said Alcock of the peer pressure that was exerted on his client.

"In a team environment, that does happen. But the reason Rico is at Tasman is because it is right for him and his career. He really enjoyed playing there last year.

"I think it's important to say that there was no pressure put on Rico by the NZRU. They did call me once but that was simply to ask what he was planning to do.

"The All Black coaches didn't get involved either. I've been doing this for about 10 years and in my experience, All Black coaches never really get involved in advising players on where to play."