NSW Women’s captain Ash Hewson hopes the Super W can one day include New Zealand, as the inaugural season wraps up.
Hewson’s NSW will take on Queensland in the Super W final on Friday, after the first competition that included those two states, the Brumbies, Force and Rebels women.
Hewson said the first season of Super W had unearthed some exciting talent, particularly in the next generation and said the next step would be to make it a larger, longer tournament.
“I think obviously we've got the franchises over here,” she said.
“To make the competition a little bit longer, maybe playing each other twice or something like that and then obviously in the future, which I think would be really great and really beneficial to the growth of women's rugby and the Wallaroos, would be to obviously incorporate the New Zealand teams.
“To be able to play 80 minutes of football against that calibre of team would definitely improve our game and improve our chances of developing a stronger Wallaroos squad.”
New Zealand’s women currently play a provincial tournament called the Farah Palmer Cup, running alongside the men’s Mitre 10 Cup, in the second half of the year.
Wallaroos coach Dwayne Nestor said the prospect of Super W becoming a trans-Tasman competition would be a positive one down the track.
“That would then start to lead the world in women's sport, I think,” he said.
“That starts to match women's Six Nations , so you get that sort of environment where you've got our teams playing the Kiwi teams.
“(It would be) fantastic for us as well. I just want our girls to play higher level rugby.
“If we can be up some of the world champs, then our girls are going to benefit from it as well.”
Nestor is also hoping to grow the Wallaroos’ Test schedule, after only playing a handful of Tests between the past two World Cups, keen to try and test the waters with some European teams.
“There was chat about trying to get the Irish girls to come out with Ireland's men's team this year,” he said.
“I don't think that was going to happen but those sort of opportunities are great.
“For us to be able to go and play Six Nations teams, if that eventuated, if the support comes from what I think the Super W has been able to provide for sponsors, that'll allow us to build a program where we can go and play the rest of the world.
It is unlikely any expansion would happen soon, with a review to occur at the end of the first Super W, but the overwhelming view is to make the foundations of the tournament stronger.
Both Hewson and her Queensland counterpart, Sefo, were impressed with the inaugural Super W season, a competition Hewson never thought she would be in a position to be a part of.
“I was very excited about the competition and to be part of it was something for me, personally, really special because I never thought I would be,” she said.
“It's definitely exceeded my expectations, and the support is what's exceeded my expectations the most.
“Just to see the media getting behind it, fox sports getting behind it, and with those things will come corporate Australia, which means more sponsorships.”
NSW will host the Super W final at Allianz Stadium on Friday, kicking off at 4:45pm AEST, LIVE on FOX SPORTS.Arrive before 5pm and receive a ticket for $15 for both the Super W and Super Rugby matches.
