Henry relieved to see Gear future sorted

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has intervened in the ongoing saga surrounding All Black winger Rico Gear’s future.

Gear has pledged his future to newly-promoted franchise Tasman after speculation he was set to join neighbouring provincial power Canterbury and will face Manawatu this weekend in the Air New Zealand Cup.

Gear had looked to remain out of selection after recurring ankle and hamstring injuries but All Black’s coach Henry’s need to see his premier try-scorer in action has forced the situation.

"I think it’s getting to a conclusion," Henry told The New Zealand Herald. "But he hasn’t played for a while, so it would be good if he played."

Chief executive Lee Germon added: "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.

"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."

Gear will be one of 14 All Blacks available for the third round of the revamped domestic competition this weekend.

Wellington have a bye weekend, but flanker Jerry Collins and scrum-half Piri Weepu are set to play club rugby.