were cleft if not to their class but to the demographics of their boroughs, a truth about gentrification that was probably peppered by the voting Sunday and campaigning in the air.It was also quite striking to me how this city, this inland empire, as close to the Baltic as to the Atlantic, controlling only the narrows of the Elbe for trade, has retained its dominance, even as many other knots only over-land and over-sea routes have faded.It seems a lot of naturally endowed infrastructure, staging has been forgot, whereas Hamburg remains an attractive force. There are outposts, once regaled in the same way, along the roads that once brought trade between the great cities, usually anchored to the seaways, but have only memories to show for their strategic2013 Super Rugby Tournament Preview

The 2013 Super Rugby season kicks off this weekend with two Australian derby matches while the New Zealand and South African teams start next weekend.

The Melbourne Rebels and Perth-based Western Force will meet on Friday and the Brumbies and Reds on Saturday in a truncated opening round designed to create space later in the season for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.

As well as this weekend's Australia only rounds there are rounds later in June and July which feature only the South African and New Zealand teams and a round with only Australian teams.

The Reds were the only Australian team to reach the playoffs last year while the Brumbies missed the top-six by a point.

The Rebels and Force finished 13th and 14th