State of Origin Explained
The fearsome rivalry of the Australian State of Origin rugby games - explained to the British.
England has the Premier League. Australia has the Telstra NRL Premiership.
England has the North West Derby, where Manchester United and Liverpool go head to head in an epic turf war to prove who is the greater team.
For Aussies, it’s the State of Origin.
What is the State of Origin?
State of Origin encompasses three epic head-to-head games, where the best of the best from the states of Queensland and New South Wales Rugby League players face off in the most passionate games of ruby league of the year. Fans gather in their team colours to prove, year after year, who is the superior state.
First played in 1980, then formalised into the competition we know now in 1982, these two teams, affectionately known as the Cane Toads and the Cockroaches, line up for the annual scrimmage. Forty years since its first game, Queensland has dominated 21 series, with New South Wales taking 15. Two series have ended in a draw.
The rivalry is so intense between these two states, that even political leaders get into the spirit of the game. Leaders of both states have been known to bet with each other to fly the winning team’s flag in the opposing state when they win. The games are so luring that a Prime Minister once set up a TV in his office so he could experience it live. Political leaders put their differences aside for the evening to cheer on their teams.
Fans passionately don their team colours, Maroon or Blue, not only for the game, but for the entire day of the game, or the real hardcore – the entire series. One Queensland fan is so committed to her team that she will only use maroon pegs on Origin days to hang her washing on the line.
People who don’t watch rugby, watch the Origin. It’s all anyone talks about for the weeks leading up to it, and the days after. Almost no excuse is good enough when you answer ‘no’ to the question “Did you catch the game last night?”
Come rain, hail or shine, these games continue. The only thing to force organisers to postpone is the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, but the spirit of the game lives on.
Traditionally, the three games are played on Wednesday evenings, approximately two weeks apart. For the 40th anniversary of the series, the games will return to Wednesday evenings. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, this is the first time the games will be played in three consecutive weeks in November instead of the usual June-August games.
But what about the rest of the country? Do they care about this decades-old rivalry between the states? There are mixed opinions from the other states, with some avid fans choosing a side, despite never living in the states involved. Most others are unbothered by the games, either not following the sport or simply do not participate in a rivalry that doesn’t involved their home state.
As a Brit, these games are comparable to the tough rivalries of Manchester United v Liverpool, Wales v England, Oxford v Cambridge. The same goes for Queensland and New South Wales. Building on years of tradition, the battles continue.
Keen to read up on some more rugby rivalries? Check out Wales v England
