OPINION: Not sure how an Aussie journalist found his way into an NZ rugby media scrum during this time of COVID-19, but maybe we needed that outside perspective at this particular time in history.
As captains and players shuffled their way through yet another pre-game build-up to the North v South clash in Wellington on Saturday, it's been hard to get too emotional about the whole affair.
Sure, after an abridged Super Rugby competition and with uncertainty clouding the All Blacks schedule moving forward, NZ Rugby desperately needed another product to entice fans that have been starved for live sport during lockdown(s).
But you can't help but wonder whether the national body has missed a trick with this watered-down version of the old school inter-island game, when it had an opportunity to unleash a full-blooded rivalry along the lines of State of Origin.
Our trans-Tasman colleague, probably expecting something more akin to the annual Aussie league 'Mate v Mate' slugfest, unwittingly put his finger on the problem during a media scrum with North hooker Ash Dixon.
"As an Australian trying to understand this rivalry, what does the match mean to you?
"Do you hate the South? What's going through your head?"
He may not have fully understood the irony of asking the Christchurch-born Highlanders captain whether he hated the South, but he surely exposed the single biggest flaw in this new take on an old format...
You just can't muster any parochial fervour over two teams that have been chosen on such seemingly arbitrary criteria as where players made their first-class debuts.
Especially in this professional age, when they switch so easily from one province/franchise to another.
Call it what it is - an All Blacks trial or Possibles v Probables - but North v South it ain't.
"It's just two really outstanding sides that are going to come together and lock horns," deadpanned Dixon, somehow capturing the mood of the occasion despite himself.
Just how ridiculous are these team selections? Consider that North captain Patrick Tuipulotu was born in Christchurch and South counterpart Sam Whitelock hails from Palmerston North.
They both play lock - you could have simply swapped them around, losing nothing from the contest and actually adding to the rivalry storyline.
Yep, Beauden Barrett gets to face off against younger brother Jordie, but only because the latter happened to play for Canterbury first. Both were born in New Plymouth, their dad played 167 games for Taranaki… they're both northerners.
The same can't be said of North fullback Damian McKenzie, who still rolls his 'r's like the good Southland boy he is.
Again, a straight swap with Jordie would have restored both to their rightful place.
Out in midfield, the southern combo of Jack Goodhue and Braydon Ennor have been transplanted from Northland and Auckland respectively. Across the field, Anton Leinert-Brown will represent the North, despite his Christchurch roots.
You get the drift.
You really have to wonder whether NZ Rugby's reluctance to follow suit is an outdated show of disdain for that 'other' oval-ball code.
You could argue that the South has a smaller population - only 25 percent of the North - so would struggle to compete on talent pool alone.
Every rivalry needs an underdog, but we could always lend them Wellington for the week, I guess.
Under its previous format, where selection depended on which province a player represented at the time, North held a 50-27 historical dominance, with three draws.
In case you're wondering, the only man to captain both teams during his career was - the proverbial answer to any rugby trivia question - Ian Kirkpatrick.
Across the ditch, Origin is based on place of birth or where a player played his junior footy. That criteria has proved a marketing winner, because fans on both sides of the border feel like they're supporting their own.
You have to wonder whether NZ Rugby's reluctance to follow suit is an outdated show of disdain for that 'other' oval-ball code.
During any NRL season, learned discussion will almost always revert back to how an injury or some emerging superstar will impact the next Origin series, even to the detriment of international rugby league.
Aussies just find it far easier to get fired up over Blues v Maroons than Kangaroos v Kiwis.
Maybe that's what our Australian correspondent, stranded abroad by international border closures, was hoping to find in Wellington this week.
No doubt, he walked away scratching his head at this opportunity lost, as are we all.
Here's how a State of Origin North v South game, based on birthplace, could look:
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
SOUTH
1-Joe Moody - Christchurch
2-Ash Dixon - Christchurch
3-Daniel Leinert-Brown - Christchurch
4-Patrick Tuipulotu (captain) - Christchurch
5-Quinten Strange - Takaka
6-Reed Prinsep - Christchurch
7-Tom Christie - Christchurch
8-Tom Sanders - Little River
9-Mitchell Drummond - Nelson
10-Richie Mo'unga - Christchurch
11-Josh McKay - Christchurch
12-Anton Lienert-Brown - Christchurch
13-Sio Tomkinson - Dunedin
14-Will Jordan - Christchurch
15-Damian McKenzie - Invercargill
Grant Chapman is Newshub's online sports editor. Join us from 7pm Saturday for live updates of the North v South clash
