[Source: NZ Herald]

On a day when New Zealand Rugby hinted there was too much rugby in New Zealand, the Chiefs and Moana Pasifika mounted a convincing case for contraction.

An uninspiring match at Mt Smart Stadium was won by the visitors, who moved to third in the Super Rugby standings. But the real winners were those who chose another way to spend their Friday evening.

Moments of true quality were almost matched by the number of yellow cards received by the hosts, the two dished out doing little to affect an outcome never in doubt.

The Chiefs had averaged 56 points in their four wins over Moana Pasifika. The teams’ last meeting resulted in a franchise-record 68-12 walkover in Hamilton.

The fact the margin remained short of that mark owed mainly to two factors: the Chiefs were missing the inspiration of Damian McKenzie, while Moana Pasifika defended well in the first half.

But the fact that type of moral victory was much likelier than a real victory represented a problem: Moana Pasifika have now lost 19 of 20 games against Kiwi opposition.

NZR general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum was warning the provincial unions when he told the Rugby Direct podcast that “we’ve got too many professional teams in New Zealand”.

Yet nothing about Friday night’s encounter suggested this fixture was integral in a world offering more options for eyeballs than ever. Instead, the distinct lack of them inside Mt Smart Stadium was impossible to ignore.

The comparison to a team with a three-decade history is both unfair and unavoidable. This was Moana Pasifika’s first match of the season at their ostensible home ground and the venue could hardly have looked less similar to the vibrant sight that is a Warriors game.

A casual viewer can tune into the Warriors and not know the colour of the Mt Smart seats. In contrast, the sea of blue providing the background was more notable than anything that happened on the field.

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