The push for a State of Origin game to be held in New Zealand in the coming years has gone up a gear.
It was recently reported that there is interest from both the NRL and Australian Rugby League Commission to hold an Origin game in New Zealand in the coming years.
Time zone will be the key issue for the sport, with New Zealand two hours ahead of Australia, but there is hope the next TV deal may enable a game to be played across the Tasman.
Already, games are taken away from Sydney and Brisbane, with all of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth hosting games on a rotational basis, pending state government financial support.
It's now being reported by News Corp that a women's games could find its way to New Zealand in the coming years as a starting point for an overseas Origin.
It would mark the first time an Origin game - either men's or women's - would be played outside of Australia, apart from the exhibition match held decades ago in the United States of America.
Rugby league is growing in New Zealand, with the sport looking to pounce on rugby union and steal interest away from the 15-man code.
The Warriors and their success has been a major part of that growth, and it's believed New Zealand - and a bid based out of Christchurch - could well be the next spot for rugby league expansion after the Brisbane Olympics when the competition look to increase to 20 teams.
It's Christchurch which is reportedly the planned city for a women's Origin game, with the report suggesting the NRL are only waiting on conversations with New Zealand tourism to kick a potential match into gear.
Christchurch has a 30,000-seat stadium complete with a roof due to open soon.
With the NRL's plans of expansion and global interest increasing, Origin isn't the only event on the menu to head overseas.
The opening matches of the season, which have been held in Las Vegas for two years and has three to go, is likely to shift to either Asia or England at the end of the five-year period, while Magic Round is often rumoured to be ready to make a move, although recent reports suggested it's due to be locked in at Suncorp Stadium until at least 2032.
