State of Origin: Coastal versus Inland XV
SPOTLIGHT: With the international calendar still very much in limbo, SA Rugby has entertained the idea of a State of Origin three-match series.
According to various media reports, the ‘State of Origin’ competition could be an alternative for internationals if the Springboks are ‘locked out’ of Test rugby.
Teams could be formed based on where they were born, schooled, made their provincial debut or played most of their rugby.
Other proposals include a North versus South selection or Coastal versus Inland teams.
READ: BEST FORMAT FOR SA ‘STATE OF ORIGIN’ SERIES?
While the ideas sound very entertaining, it may not be as viable as it seems.
For this article, we looked at an encounter between a Coastal XV and an Inland XV.
The players were selected based on where they were born, and overseas-based players WERE NOT considered.
READ: World Cup-winning Boks v the rest of SA
The players selected for Coastal side hail from Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The Inland XV players were born in the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North-West.
To make our tasks more complicated, we only selected from a pool of players currently contracted at the four Super Rugby franchises and the two Pro14 teams.
*Article continues below…
*Please feel free to drop your own selections, formats or selection criteria below.
The Hypothetical teams:
Coastal XV: 15 Damian Willemse (Strand), 14 Rosko Specman (Grahamstown), 13 Lukhanyo Am (Kings William Town), 12 Jeremy Ward (Port Elizabeth), 11 Aphelele Fassi (Kings William Town), 10 Curwin Bosch (Port Elizabeth), 9 Herschel Jantjies (Kylemore), 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe (King William’s Town), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Cape Town), 6 Siya Kolisi (Zwide), 5 Hyron Andrews (Paarl), 4 Salmaan Moerat (Paarl), 3 Carlu Sadie (Bellville), 2 Kerron van Vuuren (Durban), 1 Steven Kitshoff (Somerset West)
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie (Cape Town), 17 Thomas du Toit (Cape Town), 18 Frans Malherbe (Bredarsdorp) 19 Thembelani Bholi (East London) 20 James Venter (Port Shepstone), 21 Embrose Papier (Clanwilliam) 22 Frans Steyn (Aliwal North) 23 Warrick Gelant (Knysna)
Inland XV: 15 Andries Coetzee (Bethal), 14 Sibusiso Nkosi (Baberton), 13 Wandisile Simelane (Johannesburg), 12 Burger Odendaal (Bloemfontein) , 11 Seabelo Senatla (Welkom), 10 Tian Schoeman (Pretoria) , 9 Ruan Pienaar (Bloemfontein), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Mbombela, Mpumalanga), 7 Jaco Kriel (Standerton) , 6 Marnus Schoeman (Edenvale,) 5 Ruan Vermaak (Roodepoort), 4 Ruben van Heerden (Alberton), 3 Trevor Nyakane (Bushbuckridge), 2 Bongi Mbonambi (Bethlehem), 1 Retshegofaditswe Nche (Bloemfontein).
Replacements: 16 Pieter Jansen (Boksburg), 17 Jannie du Plessis (Bethlehem), 18 Wiehahn Herbst (Klerksdorp), 19 Le Roux Roets (Boksburg), 20 Jaco Coetzee (Pretoria), 21 Ross Cronje (Johannesburg), 22 Shaun Reynolds (Bloemfontein), 23 William Small-Smith (Bloemfontein).
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