Hosea Gear. Photo / Getty Images
Opinion
Hosea Gear should now be regarded as the All Blacks' number one choice for the left wing.
Plenty of game time, and faith from those above will not only confirm his credentials for the World Cup but develop him even further as a dynamic test strike force. Gear and Cory
Jane are our top wing combination, providing a terrific balance of styles.
Sitiveni Sivivatu, Joe Rokocoko and Isaia Toeava remain in the wings, so to speak, but Gear has already done enough to be regarded as the top choice.
Gear has power, pace, rhythm and timing. He was always a more intelligent footballer than some have given him credit for and a very good defender.
All Black coach Graham Henry opined, a while ago, that Gear wasn't the finished article, that he didn't have an all-round game. Henry has been proven wrong and he might even consider publicly conceding that. Maybe Henry is the master of mind games and was stirring Gear along.
It warms the heart to see Gear re-emerging on this All Black tour and like many former players, I feel most comfortable talking about those in the same position that I played. Wings are still primarily strike weapons, there to take advantage of any try-scoring opportunities. That's what Gear does, but he has always had good instincts in other areas. And we saw what he could do when he annihilated England playing for NZ Maori this year.
Sivivatu could still be a dynamic test force but is injury-prone. If Rokocoko doesn't get into games early, he tends to fade. We have seen glimpses of what Toeava is capable of but which Toeava will turn up?
The All Blacks are marching on to another inevitable Grand Slam. Ireland are tiring and have had trouble putting results on the board but with a raucous crowd behind them, they should put up more of a fight than Scotland did. Ireland won't win, though.
