International Origin
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International Origin was an annual series of
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
football matches between
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and the Exiles. The International Origin was created by the
Rugby Football League The Rugby Football League (RFL) is the governing body for rugby league in England. Founded in 1895 as the Northern Rugby Football Union following 22 clubs resigning from the Rugby Football Union, it changed its name in 1922 to the Rugby Footb ...
(RFL) to ensure that the English national side had a good strong mid-season international very much like
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
has with their
State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...
. 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.


Teams

In late 2010 the RFL called for a strong mid-season international for 2011 to try to give
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
a good competitive fixture before they played the international games at the end of the season. The
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
team is selected by the best English players currently playing in the domestic competition (
Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
). The Australian-based England players are not released by their clubs as this series is technically not an international test. The Exiles team is selected from the overseas players in the
Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
competition. These players are chosen to form a 23-man squad by a foreign coach (usually an
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n or
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
coach). For the Exiles team the fans get to choose who plays for the Exiles. All players in the squad are
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
club trained players. For the 2011 series, the players were chosen by a fan poll.


History


Background

The RFL had previously attempted a mid-season series in 2001, reviving the
War of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
match from the defunct
County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...
competition (1895–1983) between
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
and
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
under the name "County of Origin Series", inspired by the success of
State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...
, however this folded in 2003.


Build Up to the First Origin Game

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 few
Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
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 the
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
logo. The RFL announced that the first ever Exiles coach would be former
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at Headingley Rugby Stadium, AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby lea ...
coach Brian McLennan, McLennan won numerous accolades with the Leeds Rhinos and his first step as coach of the Exiles was to appoint
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at Headingley Rugby Stadium, AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby lea ...
hooker Danny Buderus as the captain of the Exiles. He therefore became the first ever Exiles player and captain.


2011

On 10 June 2011,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
took to the field against the Exiles at
Leeds Rhinos The Leeds Rhinos are a professional rugby league club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home games at Headingley Rugby Stadium, AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium and compete in the Super League, the top tier of British rugby lea ...
home ground of
Headingley Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road. Headingley is the location of the Beckett Park campus of Leeds Beckett University and Headingley ...
,
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
. Hull F.C.'s powerful second-rower Willie Manu provided the first try for the Exiles after
Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
Thomas Leuluai carved up the English defence and offloaded the ball. Winger Pat Richards provided the conversion. England soon hit back with prop James Graham making a half break before offloading the ball to
Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league. Warringto ...
scrum half Richie Myler to sprint 35 metres to score,
Kevin Sinfield Kevin Sinfield (born 12 September 1980) is an English rugby union coach, currently the skills and kicking coach for the England national rugby union team, England national team. He is a former professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos, ...
added the extras. The Exiles were to strike next on the scoreboard though, some neat interplay from Rangi Chase, George Carmont and Glenn Morrison saw the Exiles go 55 metres in one play down the left before Leuluai found
Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking , he played his club football in the NR ...
in the centre of the field who provided a nice cross field kick into the arms of Tony Puletua who simple tapped it infield to
St Helens R.F.C. St Helens R.F.C., commonly known as Saints, is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside, England. Founded in 1873, the club is one of the oldest members of the Rugby Football League, and one of the most successful clubs in its ...
teammate Francis Meli who had the easiest of scores. However, with 10 minutes to go
Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
second-rower Joel 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-off
Castleford Tigers The Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England. They play their home games at Wheldon Road (currently known as the Mend-A-Hose Jungle for sponsorship reasons) and compete in the Super League, t ...
Rangi Chase was the Man of the Match.


2012

After the mild success of the first International Origin, the RFL decided to use it as an annual series, however they announced that the 2012 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 at
St Helens R.F.C. St Helens R.F.C., commonly known as Saints, is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside, England. Founded in 1873, the club is one of the oldest members of the Rugby Football League, and one of the most successful clubs in its ...
's new ground Langtree Park whilst the second game was announced as being at
Huddersfield Giants The Huddersfield Giants are an English professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. Huddersfield play their home games at the John Smiths Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league sy ...
Galpharm Stadium. Game 1 of the 2012 series was won by
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
18–10, tries from
Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
back rower
Gareth Hock Gareth Hock (born Gareth Charnock; 5 September 1983) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played as a or for the Leigh Centurions in the Championship. He has represented Great Britain and England at international leve ...
and
Hull FC Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the t ...
's back rower Danny Tickle ensured England had an early advantage. The Exiles did hit back though through a try shortly before half time from winger Francis Meli. However England remained dominant after the break and a try from Sam Tomkins sealed the win as
Kevin Sinfield Kevin Sinfield (born 12 September 1980) is an English rugby union coach, currently the skills and kicking coach for the England national rugby union team, England national team. He is a former professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos, ...
kicked all 3 goals, the Exiles were able to conjure up a consolation try through Daryl Millard and a Scott Dureau conversion before the end. England's James Roby was the Man of the Match for Game 1.


2013

In 2013, the International Origin returned to its one-game format.
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
would play the Exiles in a one-off Test match at
Warrington Wolves Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England. They play home games at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and compete in Super League, the top tier of British rugby league system, British rugby league. Warringto ...
home ground
Halliwell Jones Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England, which is the home ground of the Warrington Wolves. It has also staged Challenge Cup semi-finals, the European Nations Final, the National League Grand Finals' Day, two g ...
on 14 June 2013. England won the match 30–10.


Results


Series wins


Match wins


Individual records


Playing


England

*Most Games - 3 Sam Tomkins (2011-) *Most Games as Captain - 2 Jamie Peacock (2011–12) *Most Tries - 3 Leroy Cudjoe (2012-) *Most Points - 18
Kevin Sinfield Kevin Sinfield (born 12 September 1980) is an English rugby union coach, currently the skills and kicking coach for the England national rugby union team, England national team. He is a former professional rugby league player for Leeds Rhinos, ...
(2011–14) *Most Consecutive Games - 3 Josh Charnley (2012-)


Exiles

*Most Games - 4 Iosia Soliola (2011-) *Most Games as Captain - 2
Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking , he played his club football in the NR ...
(2012-) *Most Tries - 4 Francis Meli (2011-) *Most Points - 16 Francis Meli and
Brett Hodgson Brett Hodgson (born 12 February 1978) is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional player during the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. A New South Wales State of Origin representative goal-kicking , he played his club football in the NR ...
(2011-) *Most Consecutive Games - 4 Iosia Soliola (2011-)


Coaching


England

*Most Games - 4 Steve McNamara (2011-) *Most Wins - 2 Steve McNamara (2011-) *Most Series Wins - 1 Steve McNamara (2011-)


Exiles

*Most Games - 2 Daniel Anderson (2012) and Brian McLennan (2011 and 2013) *Most Wins - 1 Brian McLennan (2011) and Daniel Anderson (2012) *Most Series Wins - 1 Brian McLennan (2011) and Daniel Anderson (2012)


See also

*
Super League Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
*
State of Origin series The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two States and territories of Australia, Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales Blues and the Queensland ru ...
*
Rugby league in England Rugby league is played across England but is most popular in Northern England, especially Yorkshire and Lancashire where the game originated. These areas are the heartland of rugby league. The sport is also popular in Cumbria where the amateur g ...
*
Other Nationalities rugby league team The Other Nationalities rugby league team was a rugby league representative team that usually consisted of non-English players. They competed in the first ever rugby league international in 1904, against , fielding players from Wales and Scotland. ...


References

{{Super League Europe 2011 establishments in England Rugby league in England Recurring sporting events established in 2011