City is the Sydney metropolitan area and in particular the Sydney Premiership. Country is all other parts of New South Wales. Clashes between teams representing these two areas have been held since shortly after the start of league in this country.
Country have rarely won, since good players can earn much better money in Sydney than in the bush. For that reason, since 1984 the games have been played on an origin basis.
The City Country match is usually held prior to the State of Origin series, and is seen as a tryout for selection in the New South Wales team. Despite that, there have been recent calls for its abolition.
Nomenclature: Games are played between City and Country, City Firsts and Country Firsts, City Seconds and Country Seconds, and City Origin and Country Origin. Occasionally City went under the name Metropolis or some variation.
City versus Country games were played prior to 1927, but I haven't yet tracked down the records.
1927 Sydney Metropolis Firsts 66-7 Country Firsts
1927 Sydney Metropolis Seconds 19-10 Country Seconds
1928 Sydney Country Firsts 35-34 City Firsts
1928 Sydney City Seconds 28-0 Country Seconds
1928 Sydney Country 23-14 City
1929 Sydney City Firsts 16-5 Country Firsts
1929 Sydney City Seconds 34-13 Country Seconds
1929 Sydney City Firsts 13-9 Country Firsts
1930 Sydney Country Firsts 35-26 City Firsts
1930 Sydney City Seconds 27-17 Country Seconds
1931 Sydney City Firsts 17-15 Country Firsts
1931 Sydney City Seconds 45-12 Country Seconds
1932 Sydney City Firsts 27-15 Country Firsts
1932 Sydney City Seconds 21-0 Country Seconds
1932 Sydney Country 39-23 City
1932 Sydney City 25-19 Country
1933 Sydney City Firsts 47-6 Country Firsts
1933 Sydney City Seconds 26-9 Country Seconds
1933 Sydney City Firsts 17-17 Country Firsts
1934 Sydney City Firsts 28-14 Country Firsts
1934 Sydney Country Seconds 13-11 City Seconds
1934 Sydney City Firsts 32-29 Country Firsts
1935 Sydney City Firsts 20-5 Country Firsts
1935 Sydney Country Seconds 12-3 City Seconds
1936 Sydney City Firsts 41-8 Country Firsts
1936 Sydney City Seconds 37-3 Country Seconds
1937 Sydney Country Firsts 20-12 City Firsts
1937 Sydney City Seconds 30-4 Country Seconds
1937 Sydney Country Firsts 15-5 City Firsts
1938 Sydney City Firsts 42-12 Country Firsts
1938 Sydney City Seconds 31-15 Country Seconds
1939 Sydney City Firsts 38-17 Country Firsts
City Seconds 21-8 Country Seconds
1940 Sydney City 28-10 Country
1941 Sydney City Firsts 44-21 Country Firsts
City Seconds 40-21 Country Seconds
1942 Sydney Country Firsts 14-11 City Firsts
1943 Sydney City Firsts 37-25 Country Firsts
1944 Sydney City Firsts 17-10 Country Firsts
1945 Sydney City 41-12 Country
1946 Sydney City Firsts 31-10 Country Firsts
City Seconds 35-7 Country Seconds
1947 Sydney City Firsts 33-10 Country Firsts
Country Seconds 25-22 City Seconds
1948 Sydney City Firsts 28-13 Country Firsts
1948 Sydney City Seconds 19-3 Country Seconds
1948 Sydney City Firsts 6-5 Country Firsts
1949 Sydney City Firsts 23-2 Country Firsts
1949 Sydney City Seconds 9-2 Country Seconds
1950 Sydney City Firsts 51-13 Country Firsts
1950 Sydney City Seconds 32-19 Country Seconds
1951 Sydney City Firsts 24-6 Country Firsts
1951 Sydney City Seconds 25-20 Country Seconds
1952 Sydney City Firsts 23-21 Country Firsts
1952 Sydney City Seconds 48-9 Country Seconds
1953 Sydney Country Firsts 28-27 City Firsts
1953 Sydney City Seconds 31-13 Country Seconds
1954 Sydney City Firsts 50-9 Country Firsts
1954 Sydney Country Seconds 16-15 City Seconds
1955 Sydney City Firsts 31-18 Country Firsts
1955 Sydney City Seconds 34-7 Country Seconds
1956 Sydney City Firsts 32-17 Country Firsts
1956 Sydney City Seconds 29-13 Country Seconds
1956 Sydney City 34-22 Country
1957 Sydney City Firsts 53-2 Country Firsts
1957 Sydney City Seconds 15-12 Country Seconds
1958 Sydney City Firsts 55-14 Country Firsts
1958 Sydney City Seconds 39-6 Country Seconds
1959 Sydney City Firsts 37-7 Country Firsts
1959 Sydney City Seconds 28-24 Country Seconds
1959 Sydney City 19-18 Country
1960 Sydney City Firsts 20-2 Country Firsts
1960 Sydney City Seconds 26-12 Country Seconds
1960 Sydney Metropolitan 27-18 Country
1961 Sydney Country Firsts 19-5 City Firsts
1961 Sydney City Seconds 5-5 Country Seconds
1962 Sydney Country Firsts 18-8 City Firsts
1962 Sydney City Seconds 17-8 Country Seconds
1963 Sydney City Firsts 35-11 Country Firsts
1963 Sydney City Seconds 30-8 Country Seconds
1963 Sydney City 15-10 Country
1964 Sydney City Firsts 27-4 Country Firsts
1964 Sydney City Seconds 29-2 Country Seconds
1965 Sydney City Firsts 32-2 Country Firsts
1965 Sydney City Seconds 23-5 Country Seconds
1966 Sydney City Firsts 18-14 Country Firsts
1966 Sydney Country Seconds 16-6 City Seconds
1967 Sydney City Firsts 18-17 Country Firsts
1967 Sydney Country Seconds 19-18 City Seconds
1967 Sydney Country 16-12 City
1968 Sydney City Firsts 34-14 Country Firsts
1968 Sydney City Seconds 12-11 Country Seconds
1969 Sydney City Firsts 27-20 Country Firsts
1969 Sydney Country Seconds 24-18 City Seconds
1970 Sydney City Firsts 22-18 Country Firsts
1970 Sydney City Seconds 14-13 Country Seconds
1970 Sydney City 26-20 Country
1971 Sydney City Firsts 17-0 Country Firsts
1971 Sydney City Seconds 19-5 Country Seconds
1972 Sydney City Firsts 35-8 Country Firsts
1972 Sydney City Seconds 34-5 Country Seconds
1973 Sydney City Firsts 33-17 Country Firsts
1973 Sydney City Seconds 34-3 Country Seconds
1974 Sydney City Firsts 23-0 Country Firsts
1974 Sydney City Seconds 41-5 Country Seconds
1975 Sydney Country Firsts 19-9 City Firsts
1975 Sydney City Seconds 28-8 Country Seconds
1976 Sydney City Firsts 47-0 Country Firsts
1976 Sydney City Seconds 37-5 Country Seconds
1977 Sydney City Firsts 36-0 Country Firsts
1977 Sydney City Seconds 25-2 Country Seconds
1978 Sydney City Firsts 30-13 Country Firsts
1978 Sydney City Seconds 35-14 Country Seconds
1979 Sydney City Firsts 29-0 Country Firsts
1979 Sydney City Seconds 36-16 Country Seconds
1980 Sydney City Firsts 55-2 Country Firsts
1980 Sydney City Seconds 17-16 Country Seconds
1981 Canberra City Firsts 38-7 Country Firsts
1981 Canberra City Seconds 12-3 Country Seconds
1982 Newcastle City Firsts 47-3 Country Firsts
1982 Newcastle City Seconds 29-10 Country Seconds
1983 Newcastle City Firsts 30-14 Country Firsts
1983 Newcastle City Seconds 24-12 Country Seconds
1984 Sydney City Firsts 38-12 Country Firsts
1984 Sydney Country Seconds 28-22 City Seconds
1985 Newcastle City Firsts 18-12 Country Firsts
1985 Newcastle City Seconds 24-6 Country Seconds
1986 Newcastle City Firsts 34-18 Country Firsts
1986 Newcastle City Seconds 36-8 Country Seconds
1987 Parramatta City Origin 30-22 Country Origin
1987 Parramatta City Firsts 52-12 Country Firsts
1987 Parramatta City Seconds 42-12 Country Seconds
1988 Sydney City Origin 20-18 Country Origin
Sydney City Firsts 54-16 Country Firsts
1989 Newcastle City Origin 16-8 Country Origin
Newcastle City Firsts 18-10 Country Firsts
1990 Sydney City Origin 28-26 Country Origin
Sydney City Firsts 38-26 Country Firsts
1991 Sydney City Origin 22-12 Country Origin
Sydney City Firsts 36-20 Country Firsts
1992 Sydney Country Origin 17-10 City Origin
Sydney Country Firsts 20-18 City Firsts
1993 Parramatta City Origin 7-0 Country Origin
City Firsts 40-4 Country Firsts
1994 Newcastle Country Origin 22-2 City Origin
Country Firsts 25-22 Sydney Metropolitan Cup
1995 Wollongong Sydney Origin 16-8 Country Origin
Country Firsts 16-8 Sydney Metropolitan Cup
1996 Woolongong Country Origin 18-16 City Origin
Country Firsts 10-10 Sydney Metropolitan Cup
Sydney Under-19s 22-12 Country Under-19s
Sydney Under-17s 16-14 Country Under-17s
1997 Newcastle Country Origin 17-4 City Origin
The country areas of New South Wales are broken up into a number of divisions, and teams representing each of these divisions play each other in the Divisional Championships. The areas are, roughly:
Other divisions have been used at various times.
The divisional championships usually take place in or around April of each year. A number of different formats have been used over the years, but in most years they have been a simple knockout competition played over three consecutive weekends.
1960 Riverina 22-15 Newcastle 1961 Western Division 19-10 Newcastle 1962 Western Division 15-13 Newcastle 1963 Western Division 9-8 Southern Division 1964 Newcastle 16-5 Western Division 1965 Newcastle 18-12 Western Division 1966 Newcastle 19-9 Southern Division No 1 1967 Northern Division 21-7 Illawarra 1968 Newcastle 31-8 Illawarra 1969 Newcastle 19-17 Illawarra 1970 Northern Division 23-19 Monaro 1971 Illawarra 15-7 Newcastle 1972 Illawarra 32-15 Northern Division 1973 Newcastle 25-14 Southern Division 1974 Illawarra 28-8 Northern Division 1975 Riverina 18-4 Illawarra 1976 Illawarra 24-2 Western Division 1977 Monaro 33-13 Newcastle 1978 Illawarra 32-15 Newcastle 1979 Newcastle 34-15 Riverina 1980 Southern Division 23-16 Monaro 1981 Newcastle 33-7 Illawarra 1982 Riverina 26-11 Northern Division 1983 Southern Division 39-20 North Coast 1984 Newcastle 24-14 Riverina 1985 Riverina 22-0 Northern Division 1986 Western Division 26-4 Newcastle 1987 Northern Rivers 25-12 Western Division 1988 Riverina 30-24 Newcastle 1989 Northern Division 42-8 Western Division 1990 Northern Rivers 19-12 Riverina 1991 Newcastle 16-10 Riverina 1992 Newcastle 14-10 ACT-Monaro 1993 Central Coast 22-10 ACT-Monaro 1994 Newcastle 24-14 Illawarra 1995 Newcastle 28-18 Western Division 1996 Western Division 28-16 Newcastle 1997 Newcastle 28-18 North Coast