The State of Origin is a 3-game rugby tournament between New South Wales and Queensland where the players, regardless of their current team affiliations, return to their home state to form a sort of all-star crew for the express purpose of fostering interstate rivalry and increasing the sale of alcohol. The teams are identified by color, The Blues (New South Wales) and The Maroons (Queensland), but are affectionately known as The Cockroaches and The Cane Toads respectively. For some inexplicable reason, this tournament takes place in the middle of the regular season, thereby stripping each team of their best players for several weeks.