The Brumbies remain hopeful this week's Super W competition can be played to its conclusion, despite the Western Force's sudden withdrawal over the weekend due to Australia's rapidly developing COVID crisis.
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Coach Dan Hawke is preparing his side for what he hopes will be a grand final preview against the Waratahs in Coffs Harbour on Wednesday, but the team is on standby should organisers be forced to disband the competition.
Super W suffered a major blow on Sunday when the Force pulled out of the competition after just one match, allowing their players and officials to enter a mandatory two-week quarantine period upon returning home as soon as possible.
Fears the entire competition would be abandoned in the aftermath of the Force's withdrawal appear to have been allayed, after organisers rejigged the draw by cancelling the club's remaining fixtures and treating Sunday's unplayed fixture against the Waratahs as a draw.
"You definitely just talk about controlling what we can control," Hawke said.
"We can't decide what the government's decisions are, we just keep following the health advice from the ACT and NSW and what the tournament directors tell us what we can and can't do."
The competition heavyweight Waratahs and Brumbies are both looking to shore up a first-placed finish in their respective pools on Wednesday.
Hawke's Brumbies remained top of Pool A despite a narrow loss to the President's XV on Sunday. Second-placed Queensland Reds take on the President's XV on Wednesday, and must better the Brumbies' result to leapfrog them into the Super W final - likely to be played against the Waratahs on Saturday.
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That could yet change depending on how Sydney's COVID situation develops.
"Really proud of the girls over the last few days to just adapt and to cope and to readjust to what's been happening," Brumbies captain Michaela Leonard said.
"From day one we've had a little bit of a chat around our values as a group. One of those things that continuously comes up is that resilience.
"The situation changes hour by hour and the girls have managed to stay really positive, ready to go, ready to adjust and be on for whatever situation may arise.
"[We're] grateful we got to play yesterday and hopefully looking forward to a game later in the week.
"Yesterday wasn't our day it wasn't how we wanted it to go, there was a lot of heavy hearts and I think a lot of pain in the changeroom after that game."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
