After an extended break, the best four sides of the 2021 Premier Rugby season will be given two weeks to prove why they should be crowned champions of another strange, strange rugby season. 

Ahead of the opening semi finals next weekend, Rugby News caught up with all four coaches to get the inside word on their playoff preparations and see what they had to say about the other three finalists. 

Next, we chat to GPS coach Shane Arnold. 

How are things looking ahead of the finals? 

“We’re looking not too bad. We finished before the break quite well against Uni but it’s been five weeks since that game,” Arnold told Rugby News. 

“We’ve just been training in small little groups and focussing on fitness really. Then we’ll look to get back into once the restrictions are eased.”

Was it frustrating to have your momentum stopped with the break after that win against UQ? 

“Yeah it was quite frustrating, but it is what it is, it was completely out of our control. We’re in the exact same position as the four remaining teams so we’ve just got to get on with it.”

How can you replicate your form from before the break in these finals? 

“We’ve just got to go back to basics, that’s the key for us. 

“We just want to try to do the basic, simple things really well and see where that gets us. It’s a bit of a funny one because it almost feels like you’re going back to the first game of the year this season.”

What has training looked like over the past few weeks?

“We’ve just tried to do whatever we could within the restrictions. They’ve been working with our strength and conditioning coach in small groups of 10 to try and maintain that fitness.”

Why should Jeeps fans be excited about the next few weeks of footy? 

“We’ve had a pretty strong year so far in terms of wins and losses so we know we’ve got some good rugby in us. 

“I know the boys have been training really hard through lockdown in their small groups and they’re all really eager to finish off the year in a positive way.”

On Wests: 

“They present a big challenge. We narrowly beat them in round one and then didn’t get the opportunity to play them in the second round. 

“They’ve got a big forward pack and some really strong ball carriers in the back row. 

“Then they’ve obviously got a very attacking backline so if we give them too much space, then they’ll burn us out on the edges. 

“On paper, they’re quite a different team to the team they were five weeks ago. They’ve got a lot of talent from 1-15. 

“There’s no added pressure on us, I think there’s pressure on all four teams really. If any team wins next week, they’re playing in a grand final which is really exciting.”

On UQ and Brothers: 

“Uni are going to face a similar challenge against Brothers that we will against Wests. Brothers have bolstered their forward pack with a few guys coming back. 

“They’ve also got an electric backline, particularly with Hamish Stewart back in the centres and plenty of speed out wide.”