A fast and mobile Newington side will look to run their opposition ragged under new first XV coach Tim Rapp.

A number of players return from last year’s shortened campaign and will be joined by plenty of exciting young talent in the top squad.

Overview with Tim Rapp:

“We’re really excited about the start of the GPS competition this weekend. We’ve played some tough, physical trials and I think that will prove to be really beneficial for our boys, particularly ahead of this weekend’s clash against Joeys,” Rapp told Rugby News. 

“We’ve been missing one of our key players through the trials due to injury but the boys who have filled in for him have done a great job. 

“We’re up against one of the competition heavyweights in Joeys in round one and the boys are very excited about it. 

“We had a camp earlier in the year in the term one holidays. That was more about getting the group together. Most of the boys were playing other sports over summer and we had a good number playing firsts cricket or basketball. 

“They were focused on their summer sports but it was great to bring everyone together for a quick little camp to begin our campaign. 

“We then played five tough trials against some really good rugby sides. We played some really big, physical teams in Waverley, Barker, Knox and Kings. 

“For the boys that hadn’t played first XV rugby before, they got a real good appreciation for the physicality of the game at this level. 

“I haven’t been involved in schoolboy rugby for eight or so years and it’s great to see the GPS and CAS schools playing one another more and more. 

“It allows the boys to play against sides that play a variety of styles and that is great for their development. 

“It also shows them the jump in the standard of rugby and physicality from playing under 16s, to playing first or second XV rugby.”

What style of rugby can we expect to see from your side?

“There’s been a big focus on increasing the speed and the fitness levels of our boys. We don’t have as many big bodies as Newington sides of the past but we do have an ability to move the ball with speed and skill and that’s something we’ve continued to work on.

“We’ve also worked really hard on our fitness so that we can play a wider, more expansive game.”

2021 Squad: 

“There are a couple of returning boys. With last year being a Covid season, those boys experienced first XV rugby but didn’t get to play in front of crowds and their families. It was an experience but it was a different one.  

“We’ve got a good number of year 12 boys, which is always valuable when you’re playing senior rugby and there are some exciting prospects pushing through in year 11. 

“Hopefully we’ve got a good mix of experience and youthful enthusiasm.”

Players to watch: 

“We’ve got some exciting forwards who are great leaders within the group. We’ve also got a lot of depth and talent at lock with four or five boys pushing for two spots in the first XV. 

“That’s created some great competition and increased the intensity at training. 

“We’ve shown some promising signs in our defensive lineout through the trials and that’s something we’d like to continue to improve on. 

“In the backs, we’ve got a great deal of skill across a number of positions and if those boys can continue to build strong combinations, I think our collective attack could be really exciting.”

Bold prediction for the season ahead: 

“I think we’ll be really competitive against all sides this season. Playing Joeys in round one is a great start to the competition because they will be and always are one of the leading schools in this competition. It’ll give us a good gauge of where we sit after that game.

“The biggest thing for us is that we’ll need to compete hard every week and keep our players healthy and on the park. If we can do that, then I think we’ll be competitive week in, week out.”