Newington finished second in last year’s GPS first XV competition, defeating Scots, Kings and Riverview.

Tim Rapp’s side will feature several returning players and some talented youngsters and will be right in the mix in this year’s 10 round competition.

Overview with Tim Rapp: 

“It’s fantastic to give the boys an opportunity to play a full home and away season and I know it’s been quite a while since we’ve had that,” Rapp told Rugby News.

“It’s a whole different ball game when you get another crack at a team after you’ve either beaten them or they’ve beaten you.

“For the development of the boys, it’s going to be massive.

“Holistically, the boys still play the same amount of matches throughout the year, but the trial period is a lot shorter so you’ve got to be a bit more selective in what you try and get out of those games. We’ve had to try and find our first XV and second XV a little quicker compared to previous years.

“It’s great that the boys get to play more competition games that count towards the premiership.

“When we look at the players that want to push on and try to play rugby at a high level, they need to learn to win and they need to want to win and that’s okay.

“The other side to that though, is that they don’t get as much opportunity to play against some of the other schools from other associations that play different styles of rugby.

“There’s pros and cons on both sides.

“It’s hard to build too much from one season to the next because boys at this age can change so much in a 6 month period, both physically and mentally.

“There’s only so much you can carry across from one season to the next because you need to adapt things to suit the players that you’ve got, at that point in time.

“But all in all, things haven’t changed. Kids love playing rugby with their mates and that’s what they get to do again this season.

“The top end of GPS Rugby is extremely good to watch and it means a lot to the players to perform well. It’s not the be all and end all when it comes to making it as a rugby player, but it’s important that the boys enjoy it while they have that opportunity.”

2023 Squad: 

“We’ve got a good mix with a handful of boys returning from last year. Guys like Casey McLean, Mateo Cleverley and Lopini Ata.

“There’s a good nucleus of players who have been around the first XV for two or three years now and I think that is really valuable.

“Then there are some good players who played in seconds and thirds last year who are pushing for a spot in the first XV, then a few elite 16-year olds who have earned their spot in the squad and will add plenty of spark and interest.”

What type of rugby will we see from Newington this season? 

“That’s probably the one thing that won’t change too much. We still want the boys to play an attacking style of football in both attack and defence.

“We don’t want them to play to a shape or a structure the whole time. We want them to play front foot footy where they identity opportunities and challenge themselves to take it.

“They’ll play with flair and they’ll play with a little bit of risk. Not only because that’s our style but also because they’re 17 and 18 year old kids and that’s what 17 and 18 years kids do.”

Which teams pose the biggest threats this season?

“I’m always a big fan of the way Kings play their rugby. Under the guidance of Jimmy Hilgandorf and Hughy Perrett, they are always going to be a skilful football team that play the game in the right way,” Rapp said.

“Joeys, year in year out, are always going to play a good style of rugby that works for them and wins for them.

“I don’t know a lot about where Scots and Riverview are at the moment. Then Shore seem to keep getting better every year and we were on the back of one of their better performances last season. So we’ll be wary of Shore.

“Whoever we come up against, they’re going to throw something at you that is different and I think whoever plays the best on the day should win.”