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HOSEA GEAR

THIS GUY IS the form winger in the country and I dont think I have seen a better individual per-formance than the one he delivered against England the other night, Buck Shelford hailed Hosea Gears

2010 hat-trick for New Zealand Mori. Many talked similarly about Gear during the 2010-2011

period. Even All Blacks coach Graham Henry described Gear as the best winger in the world. Gear played with Lomu-like explosive exceptionalism. But he was unlucky not to be selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup team, losing out to Zac Guildford (Gear still got the medal as he was called in as squad injury cover from the semi-final, without making the starting 22s).

After 14 All Blacks caps (13 starts) between 2008 and 2012, Gear left New Zealand in 2013 for French club Toulouse. The impressive Highlanders captain expressed mild disappointment with the All Blacks inconsistent selection policies, and cited the need to lock down his

THIS GUY IS in the country and I dont think I have seen a better individual performance than the one he delivered against England the other night, Buck Shelford hailed Hosea Gears

CHIEF AMONG THEM56 | MANA MAGAZINE

Hosea Gear talks about his time in France and Japan and the return home to whnau and Super Rugby with the Chiefs.

BY ALEXANDER BISLEY

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whnaus financial future as reasons for his departure overseas.

But Gears passion for the most famous jersey of them all clearly remains strong. After Toulouse and an o-season playing for Honda in Japan, the pride of Ngti Porou is back. Hes between the white chalk lines on the wing for the Chiefs, back-to-back Super Rugby champions 2012-2013. In person, hes a modest, good-humoured and very personable man.

Toulouse is the Crusaders of French rugbyhistorically, the most successful French team. The All Blacks have had no greater nemesis at Rugby World Cup tour-naments than Toulouses African-French captain Thierry Dusautoir. During the All Blacks shock 2007 RWC quarterfinal loss in Wales, the ferocious flanker-skipper made 38 tackles, reportedly the biggest ever re-corded tackle count in a test. Two more tackles than the All Blacks collective total. One Dusautoir hit maimed enforcer Jerry Collins (who had to hobble o the turf). Dusautoir also scored a crucial try and very nearly won the nail-biting 2011 final for the French.

So when Dusautoir farewells Gear with: It was a great pleasure to play with you... hope to see you back to Toulouse, you know Gears still got something.

Gear says playing with Dusautoir was special. It was awesome. I heard a lot about him from over here in New Zealand; hes renowned for his attitude and his ap-proach and his game. It was pretty cool to get around him. Man doesnt talk much but when he does, hes pretty much got eve-ryones undivided attention. Hes a pretty cool dude, too.

Gear learnt some more about balance. He reminded me of switching on and switch-ing o, knowing when its business time... that rubs o on everyone else. Hes such a gentle guy, softly spoken, pretty quiet. But then as soon as its game day and were in that

youve given it so much until youre bloody out of breath and youre just about to faint. It happens sometimes.

Derek Lardelli (also Ngti Porou), com-poser of All Blacks haka Kapo O Pango, made the striking tattoo on Gears forearm. That one represents my brother Rico and I, reflects our relationship. Youll see he has one very similar. The dynamic All Black duo are the only brothers to both score 100 first class tries.

Lardelli also crafted the ta moko on his shoulder and arm. That represents the iwi from both my mother and fathers side, con-necting and making who I am today. I definitely draw a lot of inspiration from my cultural heritage and my ancestors and everything. I think being in the New Zealand Mori environment helps bring it out, and weve got something similar going

Whenua land Wairua spirit Tpuna ancestors Tikanga customs and procedures; customary system of values and practices.

team huddle, hes pretty much a machine.He says Dusautoir, like Richie McCaw,

gives complete commitment to the game when hes playing. He empties the tank, Gear says emphatically, he puts his body on the line. I think he was playing sort of still half-injured. He tore his bicep over there and he was out. He missed four months, but then he came back and his arm proba-bly still wasnt one hundred per cent, but he was still going about and doing the damage on the field.

Gears incredible 2010 try against the English, which gave the Mori team a three-nil whitewash, marked one hundred years of Mori rugby. Following the Sevens gold medal victory at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, recalled Gear was a star of the All Blacks grand slam Northern Tour. 2010 was capped by winning Mori Sportsman of the Year. A few months later he featured in Auckland Museums exhibition Ake Ake Kia Kaha: The Spirit of Maori Rugby. Gear holds the record for most tries in a provincial season with 14 for Wellington in the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup (He could climb Mt Everest in his slippers, All Black great Stu Wilson said at the time), and is part of the elite group of players who have over 100 Super Rugby caps.

Go on Youtube, and you can watch a number of com-pilations of 1.88m, 104kg Gear going about demolishing op-position defences and attacks. But what first captivated this writers at-tention in 2007, was a shirtless, arrestingly tattooed Gear leading the Mori All Blacks into battle versus Ireland A in the Churchill Cup performing Timatanga; visceral invo-cations of whenua and wairua.

Gear is one of the mightiest All Blacks haka leaders, like Tana Umaga and Buck

Shelford. He says haka means a lot to him, bring-ing his tpuna up through the ground, into his body. The boys have their own views on it. Whenever Im performing, Im always thinking of my whnau and my ancestors and the boys that have gone before me with the jersey. Its a pretty overwhelming feeling. You need to bring yourself back

down afterwards because youre quite pumped up. So youll see the boys come into a little huddle after theyve finished doing the haka and its about regrouping and trying to bring the levels down a little bit.

Chiefs captain Liam Messam nearly col-lapsed once after leading a haka. Yeah! Gear reflects. You probably dont notice

HOSEA GEAR

Whenever Im performing, Im always thinking of my whnau and my ancestors and the boys that have gone before me with the jersey. Its a pretty overwhelming feeling. You need

to bring yourself back down afterwards because youre quite pumped up.

on here in the Chiefs.One reason the Chiefs have been so suc-

cessful, led by coach Dave Rennie, is theyre employing more tikanga Mori for all players and aspects of the game. I think its quite strong here, with the Kingitanga movement here in Tainui and in Hamilton. I think its really important for any side to have some-thing that defines them, things that they can live by and aspire to. Its pretty cool, all the boys buy into it, they become a part of it, Gear says.

Rennie returned the compliments on signing Gear: Hosea ticks all the boxes.

Hes a good man, very profes-sional and experienced. Hes also a hell of a player, powerful, quick and a quality finisher.

The Chiefs whnau envi-ronment was an attraction for Gear coming home, doing some

waka ama down the river, speaking about a bit of the [Kingitanga] history and all that sort of stu.

His wife Kate and three children getting to spend more time with their whnau provided further motivation. Uncle Rico is now assistant coach and development manager for Hoseas former union, Poverty Bay. Obviously Rico knows that Im quite tied up. Ill probably get back to Gisborne on the Chiefs next bye. Usually whenever I go home I get into the mix of the Boys High First 15.

At school, basketball was his preferred sport till sixth form (year 12). Foreshadowing his lofty vertical leap training scores during his Hurricanes years, Hosea represented New Zealand at basketball through under-16 and under-18 sides. It was either rugby or basketball; obviously rugby being the number one sport in New Zealand took control of that.

He says South African players and crowds are the hardest to play against. They prob-ably give out a bit more sh*t than the Aussies. I must say the atmosphere over in France was pretty awesome. I think definitely the South African crowds are tough to play in front of, he laughs.

Gear hopes fans will be at the parks for the Chiefs games this year. When youre at the game you feel a part of it. You can hear the hits made out in the field. You can hear the boys talking and yelling and screaming.

Though hes clearly passionate about the black jerseyhe last wore it in 2012, mon-stering Irish defences Gear isnt thinking about that final comeback now. Obviously its a goal and a reasonnot the only reasonfor why I came back. But I have to focus on my job here at the Chiefs and if things dont go well here, then obviously its not going to be looking too good further on down the track. Its one small step at a time. I still need to find myself on the field here, theres a few things I still need to learn within the team here.

Echoing shades of Dusautoir, his says his pre-game routine is about being calm. When you do take the field, sometimes the excitement and everything can over-take what youre supposed to be doing. Sometimes those emotions take control, so its about being able to control them.

WATCH Beast Mode Hosea Gear on YouTube.

Hosea Gear leading the New Zealand Rugby Sevens team after their Commonwealth Games gold medal win in Delhi, 2010. Gear says haka helps him bring his tpuna up through the ground and into his body. Im always thinking of my whnau and my ancestors.

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