Really good reply Nick - I do agree with a lot of what you are saying there. Though I don't mind the Highlanders using Gear as a battering ram to setup quick go-forward ball on occasion (particularly from a scrum) I do agree they use him in this way far too often. The problem seems to be he is stuck in the same mind-set whenever he gets the ball - he has actually had the ball in space numerous occasions so far this season, but he is so stuck in the 'hit the tackler then setup go-forward ball' mindset, he seldom backs himself to beat a player one-on-one. If the All Blacks selectors can get him to back himself again that will be great, but this is yet to be seen (a few weeks again with Tietjens in the 7's would do him wonders!). Incidentally I feel Guildford can be very guilty of not backing himself at times too - as you often point out he has a habit of running up to the defensive line, hesitating, then getting smashed. When he actually backs himself he is actually a really dangerous player, as he is very quick and runs great lines (he was very effective against the Highlanders in the weekend).Going back slightly to the work-rate thing - I don't actually consider making lots of runs in mid-field necessarily a sign of a good work-rate, more a sign of a team game-plan. When I think of work-rate I generally think of what players are doing when they don't have the ball - chasing kicks, getting in support, hitting breakdowns, chasing back in defense, or quickly dropping back to support the fullback after the opposition has kicked through. A lot of these things are very hard to assess while watching the game on the TV (as the cameras generally only follow what is happening within 5m of the ball..), and can only be judged by watching the game live at the ground. I have to say I have been very happy with Gears work-rate this season - I'd say his work-rate has been much better than Popoali'i, Piutau, and especially Poki (though not as good as Bakers, but Baker has a phenomenal work-rate and has deserved more starts in my opinion).Ben Smith is pretty quick on my TV too - and pretty quick when I watch him live at the ground too!
