By Adam Sheldon

Former Wallabies forward Matt Cockbain has been appointed director of rugby and first grade head coach at GPS Rugby Club, in a major announcement ahead of the 2026 Hospital Cup season.

The 1999 Rugby World Cup winner – also a key member of GPS’ 1996 premiership side – returned to his former club after an extensive coaching career that included time in Super Rugby and a stint in Japan.

Cockbain told Rugby News he was excited by the opportunity to work with GPS in a full-time role that would see him not only coach first grade, but also oversee the entire rugby program across all grades and pathways.

“It’s exciting for me. This is my club,” Cockbain said.

“I came down from the country and this is where I played my footy. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to come back to and coach, whether at the Reds or at club level. It feels like home for me. It’s full circle.”

On the field, Cockbain said his immediate focus with GPS’ first grade squad, which finished seventh last season, would be on stability after a transitional 2025 campaign, during which 26 players made their first grade debuts.

“Whether that was injury or unavailability, it made for an unsettled season,” he said.

“We want to be more settled, strengthen the squad where we need to, and lean into what GPS has always been about: family values.”

A key starting point in reinforcing GPS’ identity as a family club, Cockbain said, would be ensuring commitment across the playing group.

“Everyone making the effort is a good starting point,” he said.

“Not everyone can be available all the time, but if people are bringing friends and family along and feeling part of the club, that’s huge. That’s always been a strength of GPS.”

A serial winner as a player, Cockbain said GPS would approach the new season with ambition.

“We’re not turning up to make numbers, we’re turning up to win,” he said.

“We’re not putting any limits on that. We’ll keep things simple and focus on how we want to play rather than worrying too much about the opposition.”

Asked about style, Cockbain said GPS would continue to embrace its traditional running rugby ethos, while placing greater emphasis on game management and set piece consistency.

“GPS rugby has always been about speed and space and using the ball. That can get you into trouble if you’re not smart about it,” he said.

“Set piece is critical these days. We did well with our maul last year, but we’ve got work to do in the scrum and our game management.”

Beyond first grade, Cockbain said a major focus would be alignment across the club’s grades, allowing players to move seamlessly through the program.

“My challenge would be not only to do that with first grade, but also across the grades as well,” he said.

“Having that style of GPS across our grades means players can move up and know exactly what we’re doing.”