Former Wallaby and State High Old Boy Steve Kefu and his brother Toutai have taken the reigns at BSHS and inherited a squad full of talent.

While Kefu said his side still has improvement in them, the ceiling is incredibly high for a school chasing their first premiership since 2016.

Overview with Steve Kefu: 

“We’re really looking forward to the season. We’ve just had our camp then played a trial match against Ippy (Ipswich) Grammar and now we’re looking ahead to round one this weekend,” Kefu told Rugby News. 

“I’m an Old Boy here and it’s where my heart is. I was exactly like them when I went through school so it makes it very easy for me as a coach to relate to them. They are talented and can achieve anything if they set their mind to it. 

“They are a really tight group and they have each other’s backs, which makes them a really great group to coach. 

“Skill-wise, we’re improving every week. When we arrived, the boys had plenty of individual skill and we’ve worked hard on bringing those different skills together to play as one on the field. 

“But when they’ve been under pressure, they’ve come together as a group and worked hard as a group, which is a real positive for the season ahead. 

“When it gets tough, they seem to get tighter. 

“I’ve been happy with our form through the trials and we’ve been focussed on improving every game, rather than on the scoreline. 

“We’ve also put a big focus on everyone executing their role. If things go well, then great, if they don’t, we move on to the next job and dig in for the player next to us.”

2024 Squad: 

“We’ve got a lot of young guys in the squad this year, which is exciting,” Kefu said. 

“It’s probably a 50/50 between young guys and guys that have played first XV before and I think that’s a pretty good mix.”

What style of rugby will we see from Brisbane State High this year?

“Hopefully winning rugby, that’d be nice,” Kefu joked. 

“I think you’ll see a tight knit group of boys who want to play for each other and play for the school. 

“They’ve been doing some really good things on and off the rugby field over the last few months and I’m looking forward to seeing that continue.”

What are you expecting across the competition this season?

“The usual suspects will be there and thereabouts – Nudgee, TSS, BBC,” he said. 

“It’s such a great competition and that’s why we all love it so much. It’s almost like a World Cup, you can’t really afford to drop a game and everyone backs themselves on their day to win. 

“Our boys are prepped and ready to go and we’re really looking forward to all the challenges ahead of us.”