Louise Burrows had no idea how much her life was about to change when she pulled on a Stirling College jumper for a schoolgirls rugby gala day in 1994.
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Canberra schools had come together at Phillip Oval, where "there was no pressure to look a certain way or be a certain way". You simply turned up to try something new and get a day out of the classroom.
Little did Burrows know, the day she packed down for Stirling College would help pave the way for the future of women's rugby in the ACT. Because today, there is a fully-fledged under 18s girls competition in Canberra and they're playing for the Louise Burrows Cup.
Daramalan College have been crowned champions two years running, awarded this year's title by the ACT Junior Rugby Union after finishing as minor premiers before lockdown saw finals cancelled.
Burrows was on hand to present the trophy to Daramalan flyhalf Gislea Vea and outside centre April Downey on Wednesday.
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"Having that opportunity through school to play opened up my eyes how great a sport it is. Here I am, however many years later at 43, still playing," Burrows said.
"Now there's young girls looking up and seeing what us Brumbies women are doing, and they're thinking 'hey I want to play rugby'.
"To have under 14s, under 16s and under 18s competitions, it's a great pathway and stepping stone for these girls. Some of them are proving the value of it by coming in and being a Brumby. Some of them are still at school playing under 18s."
Among them is Vea, who played for Daramalan this year and was called into the Brumbies' Super W squad as a shadow player during the tournament in Coffs Harbour.
"It was honestly unreal, I was speechless. I didn't know what to think," Vea said.
"I was going in from juniors into such a high level, but learning so much from all the girls was good because then I could bring that into Dara.
"I just had so much more knowledge and a better understanding of the game. Being able to pass that on was good."
Daramalan has already produced Brumbies outside back Brooke Gilroy and with Vaea poised to follow suit, Downey has a burning desire to reach the next level.
Rugby Australia officials are mapping out the 2022 Super W schedule with plans for double-headers with Super Rugby Pacific games in the works.
Downey has been training with the Brumbies' Super W squad, who are linking up three times a week under coach Dan Hawke at club headquarters with an eye on next season.
To have under 14s, under 16s and under 18s competitions, it's a great pathway and stepping stone for these girls. Some of them are proving the value of it by coming in and being a Brumby.
- Louise Burrows
A rise into the Super W ranks would cap off a stunning rise for the 17-year-old prospect who only picked up the game at age 14.
"The girls in the year above me knew my brother, and they were like 'we need players, she plays touch, she plays OzTag, get her in'. I just loved it so much so I just kept playing from there," Downey said.
"I actually having been doing the Brumbies ACTAS academy for sevens for a while. I have done a few trainings in this block [with the Super W squad].
"I met [Burrows] at a few trainings and she is basically like a mum to the team. She takes care of us and helps us. It's quite a special thing getting a trophy from her."
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