 | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2010 |
| Inaugural season | 2011 |
| Ceased | 2013 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Country | England(RFL) |
| Trophy Holders | England |
| Most titles | Exiles(2 titles) |
| Website | www.internationalorigin.com |
| Broadcast partner | Sky Sports |
| Related competition | State of Origin series |
International Origin was an annual series ofrugby league football matches betweenEngland and theExiles. The International Origin was created by theRugby Football League (RFL) to ensure that the English national side had a good strong mid-season international very much likeAustralia has with theirState of Origin series. The RFL intended this to be an annual one-off game and it was in 2011, however this progressed to a two-game series in 2012. Plans were in the works to make this into a three-game series for the future, however it was scaled back to a standalone fixture in 2013 due to a lack of interest from both players and spectators.
In late 2010 the RFL called for a strong mid-season international for 2011 to try to giveEngland a good competitive fixture before they played the international games at the end of the season.
TheEngland team is selected by the best English players currently playing in the domestic competition (Super League). The Australian-based England players are not released by their clubs as this series is technically not an international test.
TheExiles team is selected from the overseas players in theSuper League competition. These players are chosen to form a 23-man squad by a foreign coach (usually anAustralian orNew Zealand coach). For the Exiles team the fans get to choose who plays for the Exiles. All players in the squad areNRL club trained players. For the 2011 series, the players were chosen by a fan poll.
The RFL had previously attempted a mid-season series in 2001, reviving theWar of the Roses match from the defunctCounty Championship competition (1895–1983) betweenLancashire andYorkshire under the name "County of Origin Series", inspired by the success ofState of Origin series, however this folded in 2003.
In 2011 the RFL decided to take the first steps into making the International Origin a success, they had a marketing team put together a couple of screen shots of a hooded figure with the Exiles logo on the front of the hooded garment, this created interest in the rugby league community as these were present at quite a fewSuper League games in 2011. In addition to this the hooded figures were also seen on every video ref decision with captions such as "They are coming…." accompanied by the Exiles logo, then "…….We are waiting". accompanied by theEngland logo.
The RFL announced that the first ever Exiles coach would be formerLeeds Rhinos coachBrian McLennan, McLennan won numerous accolades with the Leeds Rhinos and his first step as coach of the Exiles was to appointLeeds Rhinos hookerDanny Buderus as the captain of the Exiles. He therefore became the first ever Exiles player and captain.
On 10 June 2011,England took to the field against the Exiles atLeeds Rhinos home ground ofHeadingley,Leeds.Hull F.C.'s powerful second-rowerWillie Manu provided the first try for the Exiles afterWigan WarriorsThomas Leuluai carved up the English defence and offloaded the ball. WingerPat Richards provided the conversion. England soon hit back with propJames Graham making a half break before offloading the ball toWarrington Wolves scrum halfRichie Myler to sprint 35 metres to score,Kevin Sinfield added the extras. The Exiles were to strike next on the scoreboard though, some neat interplay fromRangi Chase,George Carmont andGlenn Morrison saw the Exiles go 55 metres in one play down the left before Leuluai foundBrett Hodgson in the centre of the field who provided a nice cross field kick into the arms ofTony Puletua who simple tapped it infield toSt Helens R.F.C. teammateFrancis Meli who had the easiest of scores. However, with 10 minutes to goWigan Warriors second-rowerJoel Tomkins intercepted a pass on his own 10-metre line and raced nearly the length of the field to score a try, Sinfield once again added the extras to put England into a 12–10 lead. But with a minute left on the clock, Chase offloaded a ball to Puletua who gave a pass to Carmont, Carmont then stepped inside to score the decisive try, Richards converted to give the Exiles their first International Origin win. Exiles stand-offCastleford TigersRangi Chase was the Man of the Match.
After the mild success of the first International Origin, the RFL decided to use it as an annual series, however they announced that the2012 series would consist of two games instead of one. The two games would be the start of an ongoing development of the series. The first game was announced to be atSt Helens R.F.C.'s new groundLangtree Park whilst the second game was announced as being atHuddersfield GiantsGalpharm Stadium. Game 1 of the 2012 series was won byEngland 18–10, tries fromWigan Warriors back rowerGareth Hock andHull FC's back rowerDanny Tickle ensured England had an early advantage. The Exiles did hit back though through a try shortly before half time from wingerFrancis Meli. However England remained dominant after the break and a try fromSam Tomkins sealed the win asKevin Sinfield kicked all 3 goals, the Exiles were able to conjure up a consolation try throughDaryl Millard and aScott Dureau conversion before the end. England'sJames Roby was the Man of the Match for Game 1.
In 2013, the International Origin returned to its one-game format.England would play the Exiles in a one-off Test match atWarrington Wolves home groundHalliwell Jones Stadium on 14 June 2013. England won the match 30–10.
| Year | Date | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Venue | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 10 June | Exiles | 16–12[1] |  England | Headingley,Leeds | 14,174 |
| 2012 | 16 June | England | 18–10[2] | Exiles | Langtree Park,St. Helens | 11,083 |
| 4 July | Exiles | 32–20[3] | England | Kirklees Stadium,Huddersfield | 7,865 | |
| 2013 | 14 June | England | 30–10[4] | Exiles | Halliwell Jones Stadium,Warrington | 7,926 |
| Wins | Team |
|---|---|
| 2 | Exiles |
| 1 | England |
| Wins | Team |
|---|---|
| 2 | Exiles |
| 2 | England |