Lions are no match for Origin series Down Under

The Suncorp Stadium was packed to its rafters for the Lions’ First Test on Saturday. Tickets sold out within minutes and the ‘sea of red’ across Brisbane left gold Wallaby jerseys looking like specs in an ocean.

It was a sign of the times. The union code plays second fiddle to rugby league in Australia and that will be clear tomorrow when the Suncorp opens its doors for the second time this week to host the State of Origin.

Television figures are expected to top four million when Queensland take on New South Wales, eclipsing last season’s viewing figures for Wallaby Tests which sometimes struggled to exceed 500,000.

For the last seven years the three-match Origin series has been dominated by Queensland. But NSW secured a 14-6 victory in the opener and they will be hoping to tie up the series with a repeat performance in front of a partisan Brisbane crowd.

Josh Morris (above) will line up again in the NSW centre alongside his twin brother, Brett, having made his Origin debut in 2009.

“It’s the biggest thing on the calendar and it’s getting bigger every year,” Josh Morris said. “Rugby league is the biggest sport in Australia and it’s the most popular.

“It’s the only sport where we have this type of rivalry. It’s state versus state and the rivalry compares to something like an Everton-Liverpool game.

“We can’t really walk down the streets of Brisbane without getting heckled but we quite enjoy it. It’s all part of the build-up.”