Shore were the big improvers of the GPS competition in 2022, defeating Scots, Newington and Riverview and losing to Kings by just a point.

Former Shute Shield winning flyhalf Angus Sinclair will coach his former school in 2023 and appears confident Shore will continue their upward trajectory this season.

Overview with Angus Sinclair: 

“It’s obviously been a shorter build up than in previous year but we’re really looking forward to round one,” Sinclair told Rugby News.

“We had a tough hit out against Knox on the weekend and there were a lot of good learnings that came from that game and I’m glad we had a tough, physical game like that ahead of round one.

“We had a fantastic camp in Mudgee earlier this year. The facilities at Glen Willow are incredible and we had a great week of weather up there. We played Daramalan from Canberra at the end of the camp and performed really well, albeit against a fairly understrength side.

“Then we played Oakhill and they really gave it to us. They were fairly niggly and gave it to us at the breakdown but our boys didn’t back down and stayed patient to grind out an ugly win.

“I think we addressed a lot of those things before the Knox game. We were right in it but then lost our No.10, then our replacement No.10 off the bench five minutes later. Knox deserved to win but we also conceded tries from a charge down and another from an intercept.

“The mentality at Shore has definitely changed in recent years. In previous years when I’ve coached in the junior age groups, the boys mentality was all about competing against the other five schools. But on the back of last season there is a strong belief and winning mentality back within the school. On the weekend we won 19 of the 22 games we played against Knox across all grades from U13’s to Opens which bears well for the future.

“I’m new to this role but Dave Mason-Jones, Tim Wallace & Hadley Jackson have done a great job in recent years and the rugby program is in a really healthy position.”

2023 Squad: 

“We’ve got a few guys coming back from last year which always helps. Tom Klem is in his third season in first XV at fullback. He’ll feature heavily in rep footy throughout the year.

“Marshall Le Maitre is in year 11 but he was also around last year. He’s been our best player through the trial period and he will definitely push for rep honours as well.

“Then there are a lot of guys in the squad who are really hungry to learn and improve and I’m excited to see the sort of rugby that they produce not just this year but in the years to come.

“There are several boys that I think will develop into really good, young rugby players.”

What style of rugby will we see from Shore this year? 

“We’re clearly not the biggest team in the comp so we need to be smart around that and play with a high skill level. We want to play with speed and a high tempo,” Sinclair explained.

“But at the same time, rugby is a contact sport and if you don’t get the collision part right, then things become pretty difficult.

“The boys have worked really hard in the gym over the last few months and I think that’s been a big improvement for the program driven by our phenomenal S&C staff. Our players are in good physical shape to compete and I think our defensive work, particularly around the tackle contest, has been really good so far.

“Yes, we want to play entertaining rugby that is quick and skilful but we need to set a physical platform first to allow us to do that.”

Which teams pose the biggest threats this season? 

“I’m probably not the best person to ask that question in my first season back in schoolboy rugby. I’ve watched a fair bit of footage from last year but I don’t think that gives you the full picture.

“It looks like it’s going to be a fairly even and tight competition. I don’t think there is one side that stands out above the rest as favourite. I think there will be a number of teams that can win every week and the team that finds a way to win the most close games will be the team that comes out on top.

“The 10 round format is really going to reward consistency so you need to be on top of your game every week”