'We're going to have to find another level': ACT Brumbies scrumhalf Nic White eyes Super Rugby Trans-Tasman

But as the ACT Brumbies scrumhalf made his way through the bowels of Lang Park and onto the team bus, he was struggling to find one this time.

Put simply, he felt like the Brumbies had done enough.

Enough to beat the Queensland Reds and win back-to-back Super Rugby AU titles. White felt the Brumbies were the better team, and for much of the contest, they were.

Alas, a last-gasp 19-16 defeat at the hands of the Reds, marred by a 20-8 penalty count in favour of the home side, saw the favourites escape with silverware and the visitors walk away empty-handed.

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"It's hard, isn't it? Raw emotions are I'm absolutely gutted, proud we played well and left it all out there. It almost felt like enough," White said.

"I'm proud of the fight the boys showed and that's the third game in a row, we've played them for 240 minutes and led them for like 235 of them. I'm really proud of the boys and the effort put in there.

"I honestly felt we'd done enough, but it wasn't enough. We played well. If you're going to lose, you want to lose to a team that is better than you. Whether that's the case or not, I don't know.

"I feel like we did enough. It's bittersweet, because it's hard and we didn't get the result, but I'm proud because, far out, what a hell of a performance.

"I hope everyone in Canberra can see the care we put into the jersey and how much the guys put their bodies on the line and absolutely gave everything in that game."

Now the Brumbies have to go again. Their Trans-Tasman campaign kicks off against the Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday night.

Couple that with away games against the Waikato Chiefs and Auckland Blues, and "they certainly haven't made it easy for us" in the eyes of Brumbies coach Dan McKellar.

The Brumbies will take a group of about 28 players when they fly to New Zealand on Thursday for what is effectively a two and a half week tour.

However tough the challenge ahead may be, it looms as a chance for the Brumbies to make a statement. They along with the Reds will carry Australia's hopes of success into the new competition.

The NSW Waratahs went winless throughout Super Rugby AU, while the Melbourne Rebels are undergoing changes on the coaching front. The Western Force may trouble some Kiwis.

Though it is plausible to suggest the Reds and the Brumbies - by far and away Australia's best teams over the past two years - are the country's biggest contenders.

But it certainly won't be easy, not after a gut-wrenching loss like White's side has just suffered.

"It's going to be tough. We came up here a few weeks ago and gave a lot to that game, and we saw how hard it is to back that up," White said.

"It's going to be tough, travelling as well. The bosses will make sure we find ways to freshen up and charge the batteries.

"We start a new competition this week, coming up against a team that are five times' champions. We're going to have to find another level."