Provinces in the 'too hard' basket

The Chiefs beat Wales 40-7 on Tuesday night in Hamilton

WATCHING the rugby match between the Chiefs and Wales on Tuesday night was memorable not only because the Waikato-based Super rugby franchise gave the tourists a thorough towelling 40-7.

It showed matches between touring international sides and provincial teams - albeit those in the Super Rugby competition - are a huge drawcard.

There were more than 20,000 people at the stadium and they got their money's worth.

The disappointment is that similar matches are something we can only pine for.

Years ago, probably further back than many care to remember, international teams were keenly awaited, mainly because they played a schedule of games against most provincial sides the length and breadth of the country. Take the 1971 Lions team.

They played two games in Australia before arriving in NZ, where they played four tests - winning the series - but also fronted up against 18 provincial sides and the NZ Maori.

In 2005 the Lions side played seven provincial teams as well as three tests.

Seven years later Ireland was here and in the initial planning for the series, it was anticipated that they would also face provincial and Maori opposition.

But, to allow Ireland to focus on the tests, the International Rugby Football Union decided there would be no midweek fixtures.

Maybe it has been the advent of the professional game, but the sad thing is the provincial aspect of international touring has all but gone.

Rugby's power brokers will always have a reason for not including provinces in the mix.

They'll talk up the difficulties of managing the game played in two hemispheres and the tight international schedule.

Trying to squeeze provinces into the envelope gets relegated to the "too hard" basket.

The sad thing is that one of the most anticipated and best supported elements of top level rugby is ignored.

Many will remember street parades organised when touring teams visited, of grounds usually sold out; the match just iced the cake of a major social occasion.

More importantly it gave provincial players their chance to shine against the best and in front of their home crowd. The score really didn't matter. It was the game that did.

It's probably a forlorn hope that the provinces will be back on the radar of rugby's hierarchy any time soon.

But for one brief moment Tuesday night's game rekindled a flame.