Gavin Rich uses the All Blacks' first proper South African tour in 30 years as a lens to examine several intersecting storylines. His central argument on the Cape Crusaders phenomenon is pragmatic: local All Black support isn't a problem, it's a commercial and atmospheric asset — a point Deon Fourie echoed this week, and one Rich says Rob Wagner privately conceded more than 15 years ago when a packed, raucous Newlands stood in stark contrast to a near-empty Kings Park the following week. The broader point is that passion drives attendance, regardless of which jersey the fans are wearing.
Rich also makes a pointed analytical argument about Super Rugby's split: SA's departure from the competition has genuinely hurt the All Blacks, who lost regular exposure to South African physicality — and conversely, the Stormers and other SA sides may now find the tempo Kiwi teams bring genuinely unfamiliar. That mutual rustiness is what makes this tour competitively interesting beyond the nostalgia. He rounds out the piece with sharp context on the Stormers' attendance numbers (second only to Bordeaux-Bègles across Europe's major leagues last season), the generational curiosity of a Beauden Barrett vs Yaqeen Ahmed matchup, and a vivid personal recollection of the 1976 WP victory over the All Blacks — including a gentle correction of the Stormers' own forwards coach on who scored the winning try.