Hosea Gear admits his recall to the New Zealand squad for the Tri-Nations was something of a pleasant surprise.

Gear, who scored eight tries in four matches for the Junior All Blacks in their title-winning Pacific Nations Cup campaign, got the nod ahead of exciting wing Lelia Masaga when Graham Henry named his 30-man squad for the series involving Australia and South Africa.

"It was a nice surprise for me. I wasn't really holding my breath at all. I know I've still got thing to work on in my game and I wasn't really expecting anything," the Hurricanes wing said.

Gear, who made his international debut in the Bledisloe Cup against Australia in Hong Kong last year and then played in the historic match against Munster on the All Blacks' grand slam-winning tour, missed the last eight weeks of the Hurricanes' Super 14 season after injuring a knee against the Lions in week six of the competition.

The wing said getting game time under his belt with New Zealand's second string side and working his way back into form had been the main priority since then.

"My main focus was trying to get back out on the park and trying to get back into form. I wasn't really thinking too far ahead about All Blacks selection and the Tri-Nations," he told Radio Sport.

The 25-year-old, who spent Saturday in the Waikato region watching All Blacks team-mate Sitiveni Sivivatu continue his comeback from a shoulder injury with a game of club rugby for Frankton, was reasonably happy with the form he showed in the Pacific Nations Cup.

"I've still got a few things to work on," he added.

"High ball catching in the air, that's always been a main work-on for me.

"I couldn't do a lot (of work on that) when I injured my knee but the last few weeks I've been trying to do as much as I could."

Hurricanes team-mate Jason Eaton is also back in the All Blacks fold after missing out against France and Italy.

Rookies Isaac Ross and Super 14 team-mate Bryn Evans were both preferred ahead of him as locking partners for Brad Thorn for the June Tests and seem likely to be ahead of him in the pecking order for the Tri-Nations as well.

Eaton has not played a Test match since the 23-11 victory against France in Paris in November 2006, although, like Gear, he did play against Munster on last year's end of season tour.

The 26-year-old was used on the blindside flank by the Junior All Blacks coaches Colin Cooper and Ian Foster at the Pacific Nations Cup and admitted he was not "over the moon" about his likely role as a lock/six cover with the All Blacks.

"But I'm in the Tri-Nations squad which I am happy about," Eaton said. "I'm still learning six and it could be an opportunity for me to play there in the future.

But primarily I see myself as a lock first and maybe I can play six a bit if needed."