NICK CAIN

SUPER Rugby Aetearoa has been a high quality, high intensity tournament – which is exactly what the doctor ordered in New Zealand after years of semicompetitive games against Australian and South African franchises which saw crowds and broadcast viewing numbers plummet. However, even though it has been a breath of fresh air, Kiwi coaches, players and pundits alike have wasted no time in saying that the eight match-two bye weekend format has taken too much of an injury toll on the combatants over its two month duration. Although the Aetearoa tournament is not quite internat...