Former Reds lock and Samoan international Dan Leo has taken the reigns of a young group at BBC, with Brad Thorne also featuring on a talented coaching staff. 

BBC have been one of, if not the form team of the preseason so far, but with a bye in round one, fans will have to wait a little longer to watch the school in action. 

Overview with Dan Leo: 

“We’ve been pretty happy with some of our results through the preseason but we’ve still got a lot of work to do in terms of our performance,” Leo told Rugby News ahead of round one. 

“We probably had our worst performance of this year last week against Churchie but we were able to grind out a win which tells me a lot about the resilience and character of this group of boys. 

“We had a five day camp prior to that and played Wests colts on the Thursday and had some of our 15/16-year olds perform really well against 19-year olds. 

“We play Downlands up in Toowoomba this weekend, as we have a bye in round one, so that will be another good chance to build on things ahead of our season opener in round two against Brisbane State High, who look to be in really good form as well. 

“I was coaching seconds last year and watched on from a bit of distance. 

“As a school, I think we probably peaked a little late last year and played better at the backend of the season compared to the first half. 

“Our preparation has been different this year and we’ve played a lot more rugby this preseason so that hopefully we can play well from our opening competition match.”

2024 Squad:

“We’ve got a young squad this year and probably 70-80% are in year 10 or year 11,” Leo told Rugby News. 

“We had an older group last year and most the boys finished at the end of 2023 so that creates a really great opportunity for us as a school this year and in the years to come.”

What style of rugby will we see from BBC this season?

“We’ve talked a lot about being a really honest rugby team this year. We don’t really have any superstars but we’ve got a group that wants to work really hard for one another and put their bodies on the line for the team. 

“We’ve also got Brad Thorn on our coaching staff, which is incredible. I’m learning every day as a coach and I think the boys have been the same.”

What are you expecting across the competition this season?

“It’s going to be tight based on results from the trials, particularly the last round. 

“On their day, it looks like everyone will be able to beat everyone which is what you want in a competition like this. 

“I think it’s really important that GPS rugby is strong for Australian Rugby as well. 

“We want guys to fall in love with the game and stay playing rugby and we’ve got an opportunity to do that with all the great talented players right across the competition. 

“We’re really excited as a school. BBC has only won two premierships in our history and over the next few years, we want to right that wrong.”