Kiwi rugby fans are first to roar
Super Rugby's domestic version will still be 'war of attrition' and gruelling test of stamina
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Wellington Hurricanes fans celebrating a try in the Super Rugby match against Japan's Sunwolves in Napier on Feb 29. The Super Rugby Aotearoa competition will be the first major sports league worldwide to allow fans in with few restrictions and promises to be ultra-competitive.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
WELLINGTON • New Zealand fans starved of live sports during the coronavirus shutdown will welcome the return of rugby union as the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition kicks off tomorrow.
The new 10-week domestic competition was organised after the wider 15-team Super Rugby tournament, which also involves sides from Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Japan, was indefinitely put on ice in March due to global travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
All eyes will therefore turn to 2015 champions Otago Highlanders as they welcome two-time winners Waikato Chiefs in the opening match in the South Island city of Dunedin, three months since the last game was played.
Given how physical local Super Rugby derbies have been in the past, the game promises to be a war of attrition, according to coaches and players alike.
"The players know how tough it is," Chiefs coach Warren Gatland said yesterday as he discussed each team playing eight games in 10 weeks.
"Players are going to hold nothing back. Every game is almost like a trial for higher honours."
Super Rugby's return has been aided by New Zealand's success in containing the Covid-19 disease, with the government lifting virtually all social distancing restrictions this week.
That means it will be the first major sports league to allow crowds to attend, although Vietnam's pro football competition, the V-League 1, also opened up its stadiums to spectators last weekend.
Kiwi fans have obliged, with the Highlanders, and the Auckland Blues, who host the Wellington Hurricanes on Sunday, predicting near sell-outs.
"This is going to be a special occasion that everyone will remember," Blues chief executive Andrew Hore said as ticket sales for his side's clash passed 34,000 - their Eden Park home has a capacity of 50,000 - yesterday.
-
34k
Ticket sales as of yesterday for Auckland Blues' clash with Wellington Hurricanes on Sunday.
The probable Blues debut of All Blacks star Beauden Barrett against his former team has also driven up fan interest.
"It has been a long time coming," the fly-half told reporters earlier this week.
"It's a game I have played a few times in my head already. It is tough. It will be survival of the fittest."
The other Blues' star signing, Dan Carter, is unlikely to be passed fit but his arrival last week has already had an "immense" impact on the team.
On the two-time World Cup winner, Barrett added: "The boost he's given and me personally, it's been huge."
The competition has introduced some experimental rule changes that New Zealand Rugby said have been designed to add excitement to the game, including a golden point winner in extra time if scores are level after 80 minutes.
Teams can also replace a player who has been red-carded after 20 minutes, instead of playing the rest of the match down one man.
Referees have also been told to strictly police the breakdown, to ensure a fast-flowing game.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
