The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 12 letter word ALTERCATIONS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
A
L
T
E
R
C
A
T
I
O
N
S
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Rows" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case rows = altercations.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does ALTERCATIONS mean?
ALTERCATIONS noun- Heated or angry dispute