The 8th Annual University Rugby League Origin game will take place at Sheffield Hallam’s Sports Park campus on Saturday 3rd February, 2pm Kick Off.
The game sees the best University players face off for a final game in front of the England Universities coaching staff who will select a 26-man England to start its campaign in March.
South will be hoping to repeat their performance from last year which saw them pick up their first win at the seventh attempt with a 20-26 victory over the North.
The two teams are traditionally picked from the inter-regional games which usually take place in late November / early December each year, however owing to the flooding and frozen conditions at the end of 2023, the games were firstly postponed and then cancelled from their rearranged date. To not lose any ground, the three groups of players selected for each inter-regional squad were taken forward into the Origin squads and have been whittled down to the final 20 two dedicated groups of coaching staff drawn from all six regions.
The South is made up of players studying in the Midlands, South East and South West regions, whilst players in the Yorkshire, North West and North East regions feed into the North team.
“We’ve seen some excellent commitment from both groups of players and the volunteer coaches and team managers who have taken charge of training for both their respective regional teams and the Origin teams” noted England Universities Head Coach Kevin Deighton.
“I’ve attended some of the sessions for both sides and had great feedback from all involved and am really looking forward to seeing the players in action at Sheffield and the tough task of selecting the initial England squad.” Entry to the game is free, although fundraising will take place on the day. Refreshments are available.
You can follow updated from the game live @EnglandUniversitiesRL on X (Twitter) and Instagram and at www.facebook.com/universityRL
Previous Origin Results
- 2023: North 20 – 26 South
- 2022: North 36 – 20 South
- 2020: North 26 - 4 South
- 2019: North 34 - 22 South
- 2018: North 34 - 16 South
- 2017: North 28 - 16 South
- 2016: North 44 - 28 South
(No game in 2021 due to global pandemic)
