FMG Stadium Waikato is set to be rocking at capacity for the big New Zealand derby between the Chiefs and Highlanders on Saturday night.





The Chiefs are set to be cheered on by their biggest crowd in three years in their blockbuster Super Rugby clash with the Highlanders in Hamilton on Saturday night.

By lunchtime on Friday 19,500 tickets had been sold to the round 11, 7.35pm match at FMG Stadium Waikato, leaving around 5,500 before the sold out signs go up.

With the weather forecast for Saturday looking positive, the franchise is anticipating a decent walk-up crowd, which will make it the Chiefs' biggest turnout since the 2013 final.

Last year's match against the Crusaders on February 28 – the same day the Black Caps beat Australia in the thrilling Cricket World Cup game at Eden Park – attracted 18,100 and was the best crowd since the franchise's second title win, before this year's Friday night match against the Blues on April 8 saw a tick under 21,000 pack in.

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Everyone loves a winner, and with the form the Chiefs are in – having won eight from nine and leading the New Zealand conference as well as the overall standings – they have been the hottest property in the competition, and playing the type of rugby which fans love to watch.

It will be the biggest crowd under the watch of Chiefs chief executive Andrew Flexman's, who joined the franchise in late 2013. He credited the on-field efforts for getting people along, but also felt the work the franchise had done to enhance fan experience was a factor.

"We've taken up the challenge of making the in-ground experience that much better than what the fan can get sitting on the couch at home," Flexman said, citing the use of a second big screen at the ground, a roving MC doing crowd interviews and the introduction of social media feeds at the ground. The franchise has also done away with the general admission grandstand tickets which caused confusion earlier this year.

And it's no coincidence that the biggest turnouts come in the New Zealand derby fixtures, which are invariably close, tough contests, and showcase players that many are familiar with, and who are fighting for All Blacks spots. The Highlanders are also defending champions and possess an exciting backline.

"There's no doubting the fact that's the way it's shaping up isn't it, they seem to captivate the New Zealand audience," Flexman said. "And I think where the New Zealand sides are sitting on the table is kind of a reflection of that. So I guess the perception is that you're seeing the best teams in the competition going head to head."

For the Chiefs' first two games of the season in Hamilton they attracted just over 14,000 for a Saturday evening match against the Lions and almost 13,000 for the Saturday night match during Easter against the Force.

And the strong sales for this weekend come on the back of a poor turnout of less than 9000 for last Friday's match against the Sharks in New Plymouth.

Flexman said despite the underwhelming turnout at Yarrow Stadium there wouldn't be any hasty decisions around not allocating a game there next year, but that there needed to be a revised strategy and some better work from both parties.

"We committed long-term to that Taranaki region," he said.

"Some ongoing discussion needs to happen between us and some key stakeholders down there."

After the Highlanders game, the Chiefs have a bye then host the Rebels in Hamilton, in what will be their last proper home match until a potential playoff game, as their fixture against the Crusaders has been taken to Fiji.

The Chiefs aren't the promoter of that game so won't get the gate revenue from it, but will get a majority share of a split with the Crusaders, which Flexman was comfortable with because it would be offset by this year's unique game against Wales, in Hamilton on June 14.

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