Rugby: North v South should be NZ State of Origin, Stan Meads says

All Black Stan Meads in action during the New Zealand tour of France in 1964. Photo / Photosport

Former All Blacks forward Stan Meads truly believes a North Island versus South Island match should be an annual fixture like the National Rugby League’s (NRL) State of Origin in Australia.

“I believe that it would be very beneficial to New Zealand rugby. The programme is so full, it would be hard to fit in but the league programme is full too, and they fit it in State of Origin,” Meads says.

Having played, coached and watched much rugby over his 85 years, Meads’ opinion is certainly one you’d take into account.

King Country #465 and All Black #619, Meads looks back fondly on his 1960s outings for the North team.

He represented the North Island team between 1960 and 1966 and said there was always a big rivalry. The game was a level up, just like State of Origin.

Often it would be like a final All Blacks trial. Rather than being thrown together and put onto the field like a trial match, though, they would spend three days together and get their “pattern” sorted.

“I played for the North Island versus the South about five or six times. Boy, they were great. I reckon that’s one of the things about New Zealand, they should still have North-South,” Meads says.

“After the [All Blacks] tour to the British Isles and France in 1963-1964, we were all bloody good mates and the interisland match was mates against mates in a dog-eat-dog game.

“One story to come from the interisland game at Athletic Park after that tour was - we were at Athletic Park and South Island were after us. John Graham was captain of the South team - he later became headmaster at Auckland Grammar.

“In the first five minutes, South scored a brilliant try in the corner through Bill Birtwistle. As we were walking back into position, South Island’s Ian ‘Spooky’ Smith, one of my great mates, walked past Kel Tremain and said, ‘stick that up your ...’.”

The 1965 North Island team.

Talking over a beer after the match, Meads recalls Tremain saying that he couldn’t “believe the terrible language”.

From then on, whenever Smith appeared, the North boys would chime in, “here comes ol’ stick that up your ...”.

“We had a lot of fun, having a beer together after.”

Another story Meads tells is about the great Tiny Hill, who “was tough as old boots”. A trait that ran in the family as Hill’s sons Stan and John went on to become New Zealand basketball greats.

“In 1960, when the All Blacks were in South Africa, North played South at Lancaster Park in Christchurch. We were all the immature and inexperienced side against the South Island. Tiny was the captain of the South Island. We’d come to a lineout and ol’ Tiny would stalk up and down that lineout.

“He’d strong eye you, letting you know that if you caught the ball ‘I’ll get you’. He defied us to catch it, and when you did, you knew you weren’t going to get away with much - not dirty wise but just hard play. South won that game by 20-odd points.”

The interisland rivalry dates back to 1897 and was played on annually until 1986 — the year before the first Rugby World Cup.

In that timeframe, only 12 years went without a clash — mainly due to the wars.

There have been 81 matches, with 50 won by North, 28 by South and three drawn.

September 5, 2020, was the last time a North v South match was played, with South Island taking a 38-35 win in Wellington.

Prior to that, 1995 and 2012 had matches played in Dunedin.