Ask around ACT Brumbies headquarters and more than a few people will tell you Louise Burrows is still the best scrummager in the country.
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That's why the 43-year-old has her sights set on becoming the first player to play at five rugby World Cups with the next to kick off in New Zealand in October next year after being postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burrows has proven she can fill a void at both prop and hooker, but she has spent three years out of the Wallaroos system after being told she was too old.
However Burrows is adamant "anything is possible" if she can impress during the Brumbies' looming Super W campaign with the club's pre-season program in full swing.
"I'd love to play in a fifth World Cup. I'm training as hard as I ever have. I still believe I've got growth in my game so I can be better than I've ever been," Burrows said.
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"Of course, we all play to be able to have that opportunity to play at a World Cup which is the pinnacle in our sport. If I can be the best player I can be for Brumbies, then anything is possible.
"First and foremost obviously, a successful Brumbies season would be great. Making it through to the final this year and seeing what potential we have to take it away. I feel like we're getting closer and closer each year.
"We're all putting in the hard work and anything is possible when everyone has that common goal. If we're successful, then hopefully we're rewarded with more players in that Wallaroos squad and I'm putting my hand up to say 'hey, I'm here to play the best rugby I can'."
Super W will revert to a home-and-away fixture next year with initial plans for the competition to begin a fortnight after Super Rugby Pacific kicks off on February 18 with a clash between the Brumbies and Moana Pasifika in Auckland, however officials could be forced to change the fixture due to the New Zealand government's border restrictions.
Brumbies officials are keen to host a double-header with the club's men's and women's teams playing at the same venue on the same day during the 2022 season.
There is also an appetite for the Brumbies to take a Super W game to Queanbeyan following the success of this year's clash at Seiffert Oval, which headlined a festival of women's rugby featuring junior girls and senior women's games.
A wider Brumbies squad is training three times a week at club headquarters under head coach Dan Hawke with the final squad to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Among the group are players so young they weren't even born when mother-of-two Burrows started playing rugby in 1995.
"They're keeping me on my toes and making me step up each year because I know these girls are coming through and pushing for positions," Burrows said.
"It's really exciting that there is that pathway for them with Super W and Wallaroos. These girls have so much talent and so much potential. Every time they step out on the training paddock, I see they want to grow and be better.
"When we're at Brumbies, no one looks at anybody any different to each other. We're all equal, we're all deserving of our position there. For me, it's a great environment to be around and I love having those young ones coming through."
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