State of Origin: The Union Way

Before professionalism swept it away, the Divisional Championship packed out Twickenham and launched international careers. Today, we're bringing it back. Armed with current pros, regional pride, and very little agreement on eligibility rules, our panel drafts four teams - North, Midlands, London & South, and the South West - and puts it to you to decide who'd win. Joining the show are World Cup winner and Leicester Tigers legend Ben Kay, and cross-code flying machine Martin "Chariots" Offiah - a man who actually pulled on the London jersey in 1987. Together with Payno and Tins, they argue, haggle, and horse-trade their way through the ultimate fantasy rugby draft. 00:00 🛞 Season 6 is sponsored by Continental Tyres 02:06 🌏 State of Origin Idea 03:16 🏉 Selectors and Memories 08:55 📋 Eligibility Rules 10:14 🔁 Back Three Picks 17:47 ⚔️ Centers 23:40 🎯 Halfbacks 32:07 🔒 NordVPN Break 34:45 💪 Front Row Picks 38:43 🏗️ Second Row Pairings 42:09 🔥 Back Row Debates 52:54 🏆 Who Wins? 54:15 🏟️ Choosing Home Stadiums 57:34 🧠 Picking The Coaches 01:00:04 💭 Can This Concept Actually Happen? 01:01:25 🤜 Grip Strength Challenge 🔐 EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 📗 The Good, The Bad & The Rugby: Unloaded: ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can listen to State of Origin: The Union Way online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

State of Origin: The Union Way is an episode from The Good, The Bad & The Rugby by Folding Pocket.

This episode is 66:30 long.

This episode was published on May 20, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Good, The Bad & The Rugby when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.