The jet and the supernova in GRB 990712

The optical light curve of the afterglow following the gamma-ray burst GRB 990712 is reexamined. Recently published polarization measurements of that source require a collimated outflow geometry that in turn predicts a break in the light curve. We show that the V-band light curve is consistent with such a break and that the postbreak light-curve evolution is dominated by a supernova contribution.