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It could be argued that the south has a smaller population, only 25 percent of the north, so you would have a hard time competing on the talent pool alone.
Every rivalry needs a loser, but I guess we could always loan them Wellington during the week.
Under its previous format, where the selection depended on the province a player represented at the time, North had an all-time dominance of 50-27, with three draws.
In case you were wondering, the only man who captained both teams during his career was, the proverbial answer to any rugby trivia question, Ian Kirkpatrick.
On the other side of the ditch, Origin is based on the place of birth or where a player played his youth soccer. That criterion has proven to be a marketing winner, because fans on both sides of the border feel like they are supporting their own.
You have to wonder if NZ Rugby’s reluctance to follow suit is an outdated display of disdain for that “other” oval ball code.
During any NRL season, the learned discussion will almost always return to how injury or some emerging superstar will affect Origin’s next series, even to the detriment of the international rugby league.
Australians find it much easier to get excited about Blues vs Maroons than Kangaroos vs Kiwis.
Perhaps that is what our Australian correspondent, stranded abroad by international border closures, expected to find in Wellington this week.
No doubt he walked away scratching his head at this missed opportunity, like all of us.
Here’s what a State of Origin North vs South game might look like, based on the place of birth:
NORTH
1-Karl Tu’inukuafe – Auckland
2-Codie Taylor – Levin
3-Angus Ta’avao – Auckland
4-Samuel Whitelock (captain) – Palmerston North
5-Tupou Vaa’i – Auckland
6-Ardie Savea – Wellington
7-Dalton Papalii – Auckland
8-Hoskins Sotutu – Auckland
9-TJ Perenara – Porirua
10-Beauden Barrett -New Plymouth
11-Caleb Clarke – Auckland
12-Jack Goodhue – Northland
13-Rieko Ioane – Auckland
14-George Bridge – Gisborne
15-Jordie Barrett – New Plymouth
