Queensland's dominance in Origin has continued for the third straight year, after they downed the NSW boys 16-10 in Sydney - and boy, did the game started with a bang.

It took only one minute before a fight broke out after Ben Cross was hit by a high shot - both sides were fully fired-up for the decider.

NSW took the early lead with a penalty, before Queensland scored the opening try in the fifth minute. Scott Prince put up a bomb, which Israel Falou took easily thanks to some poor handling from Anthony Quinn.

A try by Matt Cooper gave NSW back the lead before Falou scored a fantastic try, out-jumping Quinn to score his second of the night.

Another penalty before the break gave NSW a 10-8 lead at halftime...

The second half was a tough battle, as both sides struggled to break the others defence.

Nate Myles was put on report for a grade three dangerous tackle on Cross, which led to another all-in brawl (It's great to see a bit of biff in Origin...) - Myles looks set to miss up to eight weeks for the tackle.

It was the 67th minute when Thurston threw a dummy and broke the NSW line, setting up Billy Slater for what would prove to be the match winner - NSW never looked like scoring from that point on.

Final score - 16-10 to the mighty Maroons.

Being NSW supporters, it's hard to say this, but...

Queensland are one classy outfit.

What makes the Queensland effort even more impressive is the fact they won without playmaker Scott Prince (who broke his arm in the 15th minute), which saw Karmichael Hunt move the five eight.

Once again, Steve Price and Petro Civoniceva were outstanding up front for Queensland, while Dallas Johnson was fantastic on defence, as was Brent Tate (again...).

NSW had their moments, but were ultimately let down by some poor discipline at crucial times. Paul Gallen (who we think is completely overrated, by the way) gave away some costly penalties, which gave Queensland some easy meters down the field.

Another player who looked out of his depth was Anthony Quinn. After surprising us in Game One, his form has been less-than-impressive in the last two games, and his defence last night was poor. Just like Steve Turner (in Game Two) we can't help but wonder if he would have been selected if Craig Bellamy wasn't the coach.

If NSW are to compete next year, they need to bring back guys like Brent Kite, Nathan Hindmarsh and Andrew Ryan. These are the types of player who will give you eighty minutes of solid footy, rather than guys like Gallen who give away stupid (yes, stupid) penalties on a regular basis.

In the end, Queensland have been the better side in the series. NSW have only managed one try in the last two games, which is never going to be enough at Origin level.

It's been a fantastic series, though (well, maybe not so much for NSW supporters...) again showing that Origin is the pinnacle of rugby league.

This Saturday's Test between the All Blacks and the current World Champs, South Africa, is one you don't want to miss.

The Springboks are in great form (have been since the World Cup, actually) and are bolstered by the return of John Smit, who has been playing in Europe.

Normally, the All Blacks would be heavy favourites, especially in New Zealand - the Springboks don't usually travel well - but it's hard to see them dominating this match against the highly improved South African side.

We're definitely not saying we won't win - we just see it being a lot closer than years gone by...

South Africa are experiencing a revival in form, and are developing some great talent - think, Ryan Kankowski, who was destructive in this years Super 14.

They also have a lot of experience in John Smit and Victor Matfield, and they will not be beaten easily.

This, though, will be their toughest Test of the year - Wales only put up a fight in the second Test, and - well - no one expected much out of Italy.

The All Blacks have yet to be tested either, but they have shown some good form against England - especially in the backs. The forwards will have to step up against the Bok's forward pack, especially without McCaw, but they have shown they are capable of winning without him.

The biggest thing in the All Blacks favour is the return of the new rules (ELV's), which means a faster game with less stoppage time. The Springboks will really be tested in the later stages of the Test, where the All Blacks fitness will give them an advantage.

We don't expect a walk-over, but we're confident the All Blacks can come away with the win - we are tough to beat at home.

This promises to be a great Tri Nations competition - possibly the closest to date - but we just wouldn't be New Zealanders if we didn't think the All Blacks could win it.

Which, of course, they will.

For the second time in as many months, All Black Jimmy Cowan has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons - this time for disorderly behaviour outside a bar in Invercargill. On May 10th, Cowan was arrested and charged for a similar offence in Dunedin following the Highlanders game against the Blues.

Clearly he has a problem when he goes out drinking, and unless he sorts it out quickly he may struggle to keep his place in the All Blacks squad. Sure, he's been 'let off' this time (other than a fairly small $3000 fine...) - but will that happen again?

It would be a real shame if it comes to that, because he's such a talented halfback - he just needs to realise the seriousness of his actions. The All Blacks have been working hard to win back the respect and support of the public, and it's shocking that problems like these keep surfacing.

And it's not only Cowan - Jerome Kaino was charged with driving-under-the-influence last week, and we needn't even mention Jesse Ryder or Lucky Mulipola...

Being a sporting personality means that you, and your actions, will always be under a microscope - and so you must conduct yourself properly when out in public! It's the same for any professional sportsperson...

If these guys can't control themselves while out, then they need to think seriously about going out at all.

Being a sportsperson doesn't mean you can do what you want, when you want to - the laws are the same for everyone, and if they can't obey them, then they need to face the same consequences that you or I would face. As much as we like Jimmy Cowan, we think the NZRU should have come down hard on him, and suspended him for a while...

But, if the All Black jersey means anything to him, he'll make sure he works hard on how he conducts himself off-field in the future.

And, moving forward, it should be the same rule for everybody - two strikes, and you're out.