Trinity head into Saturday’s opening round CAS clash against St Aloysius’ on the back of six straight trial wins. 

Former Super Rugby and Shute Shield winning halfback Michael Snowden will coach the team for a second straight season and likes his side’s chances of causing an upset or two in the months ahead. 

Overview with Michael Snowden:

“We’re really happy with our preseason, we played six games and had six wins. We haven’t had that type of form coming into a competition for quite some time so we’re really pleased,” Snowden told Rugby News. 

“We obviously didn’t play some of the bigger CAS or GPS schools, but we had good wins over Cranbrook and Shore and took plenty out of every trial. 

“The guys are playing with a lot of belief and confidence and it’s one of those things, if you know how to win, then you’re more likely to keep on winning and we’re hoping that’s the case. 

“A lot of the games were really tight, which is what you want in trials. You don’t really want blowouts, there’s not a lot of benefit in those games but we’ve had a number of tight wins where the boys had to work really hard to close out the match. 

“At our best last year, we were a really good team but unfortunately we were very up and down last season. We went up to Knox, played fantastic and got a win, then we came home and lost to Cranbrook, then fell just short against Barker. 

“We were very inconsistent and that’s something we’re hoping to change this year.”

What style of rugby will we see from your side this year?

“It’s a tough one to answer,” Snowden said. 

“I’d like to think we’ll play smart football. You don’t want to be that team that runs the ball from anywhere but you also want to have a crack when it’s on. 

“Balance is probably the easiest way to describe the style we want to play. We don’t want to play with the ball in our own end but we will also be willing to have a crack when the time is right.”

2021 Squad: 

“We’ve got seven boys starting this weekend that were in the first XV last year. There are quite a few new faces but the seven returning boys have quite a bit of experience and that will be important.” 

Player(s) to watch: 

“Hunter Hannaford and Orly Hatton-Ward have been two of our best so far this year. They’re our No.9 and No.10. 

“Then in the forwards Tyson Jackson and Kai Roberts have also been impressive.”

“It’s great to have some guys with experience in key positions. Hunter (Hannaford) is in his third year and has played 20 plus games in the first XV. 

“Then on the flip side, Orly (Hatton-Ward) is really young, he’s still in year 10, but one of his greatest strengths is that he’s quite calm under pressure and he’s slotted into the side like he’s been around for years. It’s been very impressive.”

Bold prediction for the season ahead: 

“I’d like to think we’ll surprise a few people this year. I think when most people look at the CAS competition, they naturally go straight to Barker, Waverley and Knox but I’d like to think that we’re well positioned to surprise a few teams. 

“To be honest with you, I think Barker are the team to beat and I wouldn’t be surprised if they won most of their games by quite a decent score. 

“They’re looking very good, but we think we’ll be competitive and every chance of causing an upset on our day.”