CROWDS for the domestic Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament in New Zealand are more than 100 per cent up on those for intercontinental Super Rugby without the “Aotearoa” bit.
Please pardon club rugby followers in England and France if they don’t fall over with shock.
They understand the forces at work here: namely, that bred-inthe- bone local rivalries are the very essence of spectator sport and will always trump endless matches against teams from the back of beyond.
Last weekend’s Chiefs-Blues fixture in Hamilton was effectively a Waikato-Auckland derby, and all the bet...