Prior to the advent of the National Youth Competition, junior interstate matches were contested at under-17 and under-19 levels. In 2008, the age levels switched to an under-16 and under-18 format but no under-20 game was held until 2012. In March 2012, the first under-20 Origin match was announced by the National Rugby League. The NRL had been looking into running the match for more than 18 months.
From 2012 to 2014, the under-20 Origin fixture was held in April, on the Representative Weekend. In 2015, the game was moved to July as a curtain-raiser to State of Origin. As of 2017, the New South Wales under-20 team have for every fixture, winning six consecutive games since 2012. In 2018, they recorded their first lose, losing to Queensland 30–12 at Suncorp Stadium.
Players
Players selected for the New South Wales under-20 team are under contract with a National Rugby League (NRL) side and play in either the NRL, Holden Cup, Jersey Flegg Cup or Intrust Super Premiership competitions. Since 2013, the NSWRL's selected a pre-season under-20 squad featuring players in contention for the mid-season fixture.