ACT Brumbies coach Scott Fava eyes continued Super W growth

The season currently runs for just five weeks before semi-finals and a grand final, however Rugby Australia has committed to investing in women's XVs programs as the sport faces increasing pressure to retain players from deep-pocketed AFLW and NRLW rivals.

There are plans to combine the Australian and New Zealand women's competitions.

Fava had just watched his side fall agonisingly short of an upset victory over the NSW Waratahs, the team falling 24-13 in a torrid affair.

While the Waratahs have long been the benchmark in the women's XVs competition, the coach has overhauled the entire Brumbies operation since stepping into the role in November.

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That has left the side starting from a low base and saw a host of new players arrive in Canberra.

While the Brumbies have fallen in their opening two matches of the season, a tense 12-7 loss to the Fijiana Drua in Nadi and Saturday's hard-fought contest against the Waratahs, Fava is confident the franchise is building something special.

Given how close the games were, the coach believes his side could turn the table should they play a second time this season.

"How good would it be to get Fiji out here and then go up there and play at Allianz," Fava said. "The girls need that. They need to be able to say 'we've got a chance to go again against these girls'. It just feels so short and we're just going after one opposition at a time, then we're done after five weeks.

"It comes down to playing really good games of footy. I think that was one of the best Super W games I've ever seen. That was right on the edge of your seat, everyone in the crowd would have appreciated the battle and also the skill level of the players.

"If we continue to push that level of rugby we'll see the money come into the game and we'll see these girls become more professional, which is what we want."

Saturday's match was a high-quality affair, both teams aiming up defensively and producing some exciting attacking passages of play.

The Brumbies, in particular, were superb in defence and absorbed a significant amount of pressure as the Waratahs threw plenty at them.

Fava labelled it one of the best matches played in the Super W's six-year history and said the rise in quality is a testament to the players involved.

The coach also serves as a Wallaroos assistant and he's confident the national side will ultimately reap the benefits of the competition's growth.

"If I put my Wallaroos cap on, we've got Caitlyn Halse at the back there, she was dynamic, she's doing a really good job, then look at our fullback, Ashlea Bishop, she kicked as well as Caitlyn did and got us out of trouble so many times.

"There were so many good one-on-one battles out there, I loved the battle between Grace Hamilton and Grace Kemp, that was superb. We've got so much going on within each of these groups that they're all standing up and being accounted for."

The physical nature of Saturday's clash had a mounting toll on both sides, with numerous players cramping late in the piece.

The Brumbies were also dealt a number of more serious blows. Star Wallaroo Grace Kemp suffered a dislocated kneecap while Edwina Munns-Cook and Kate Holland also left the field with leg injuries.

"It's no good when you're losing influential back rowers in the game," Fava said. "We had Tania Naden move to No.6 and we had our reserve halfback on the wing but they stood up and did their job, which is another aspect of this squad."

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