Three quick points on Saturday night's sudden death Super Rugby match between the Highlanders and Chiefs in Dunedin:
1) Time to enjoy an all-or-nothing contest between two New Zealand sides, without all the conference and bonus point issues to contend with. Sit back, or even lean forward, and enjoywhat shapes as a brutal clash between two hard working sides.
2) This is McKenzie country. We're talking the Chiefs No. 10 jersey, not the Highlanders' home advantage. It was a tall order covering for the loss of Aaron Cruden and the Marty/Damian McKenzie double act is under pressure. Added to that, Brad Weber - the last recognised halfback fit and standing - was off his game against the Hurricanes.
The Highlanders have a serious advantage with the Aaron Smith/Lima Sopoaga combo. There are other match-ups which favour the Chiefs, but the halfback/first-five-eighth area is always a key one.
3) The Highlanders had a soft last outing against the hapless Blues. The Chiefs couldn't go on with the job against the Hurricanes, but they got a much better work out leading into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Highlanders have sold 17,000 tickets to the game and have decided to now open up the western end of Forsyth Barr Stadium. Highlanders general manager Roger Clark said the tickets to the end stand would be $25 and had already sold 550 of them in a matter of minutes.
The stand, at the end of the stadium, holds about 5000, bringing the capacity of the stadium to 23,000. The other end of the stadium would not be opened with other commercial activities planned for the area.
The franchise sold 4000 tickets in two hours this morning when the tickets went on sale to the general public
