 In New Zealand, rugby union is played throughout the whole country where as rugby league is still considered to be a lower class game by many, or a game for "westies" referring to lower class western suburbs of Auckland and more recently the poorer southern Auckland where the game is popular.In France, rugby union is widely played and has a strong tradition in the Basque, Occitan, and Catalan areas along the border regions between Spain and France.It rivals the popularity of association football.