ACT Brumbies prospect Ash Fernandez chasing a Super W dream

Ash Fernandez had always been around rugby. Her brother played, her dad had played. She was playing touch football among a raft of other sports, but rugby remained out of reach.

Then came the Rio Olympics and Australia's stirring women's sevens gold medal victory. The course of women's rugby in this country changed on that day in August 2016.

"It just went from there. I had the opportunity to play and just took it," Fernandez said.

"I started playing in 2017 just at school, and in 2018 I made my first Brumbies team for the national youth sevens. I played that for two years and then just moved up through schoolgirls and came into this system in 2019-20."

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Fernandez is now emerging as a second-rower to watch at the 15-a-side level for the Brumbies as they cast their eyes towards a Super W campaign in 2022.

Fresh off a debut in 2021, the Yass product has her sights set on locking down a place in Dan Hawke's matchday squad in a bid to realise a burning desire to pull on Wallaroo gold.

"I made my debut this season so it was just amazing coming up through the ranks. You've got a lot more role models in Super W who help you out a lot," Fernandez said.

"The big one for me is Cookie, Louise Burrows, she is like a mum in the group. She definitely takes you under her wing and helps you out. Mac [Leonard] helps out a lot so I learnt a lot from her.

"It's really good to be back, pre-season has been good. It's a different structure this year, there's a lot more learning going on which has been awesome, it will definitely help us later.

"You get to learn a lot having those girls who have played Wallaroos before in the team, it helps you strive to get there one day."

The Brumbies are still waiting on a competition fixture from Rugby Australia ahead of a new-look competition including Fijiana Drua.

The Drua's addition to Super W mirrors the change made to Super Rugby Pacific, which will include the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika in a revamped 12-team men's competition.

"To have that level of international rugby played is just going to strengthen the women's game, especially being a World Cup year. They live and breathe rugby," Brumbies hooker Harriet Elleman said.

Brumbies officials are hoping to stage double-headers with their men's and women's teams at Canberra Stadium, with plans in place for a showdown against the NSW Waratahs early next month.

Elleman has declared the Brumbies are "a force to be reckoned with this season", bolstered by the likes of Wallaroos great Ash Hewson, Shellie Milward, Georgia O'Neill and Japanese internationals Makoto Lavemai and Mana Faruta.

"The squad has again developed from last year. We've been able to acquire some girls from Sydney that played in the President's XV," Hawke said.

"We've been lucky enough to recruit two Japanese international players that have come across for the Super W season, and we've got some returning players from season-ending injuries last year."

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