After a thrilling ten days in Coffs Harbour with the Brumbies, Pearl Rakete stepped off the plane in Canberra last night exhausted but pleased with her work.
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The Goulburn resident spent much of the last two weeks on the mid-north coast for the 2021 Super W, which wrapped up on the weekend.
Prior to Saturday's grand final between the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds, the Brumbies took on the Melbourne Rebels to determine third and fourth place.
In a back-and-forth encounter, the Brumbies came away with a narrow 10-8 victory thanks to a last-minute penalty goal to Teliya Hetaraka, which signed off their tournament and secured a third-place finish.
"It definitely felt good," Rakete said.
"Getting a win in the last game, especially after all the training and what we've been working for, it's good to finish off with a position. It was a good feeling, but definitely nerve-wracking considering how close it was."
After a resounding win in round one over the Melbourne Rebels at Queanbeyan's Seiffert Oval, the Brumbies struggled in rounds two and three against the Presidents XV and NSW Waratahs respectively.
They fell 19-13 against the Presidents XV on Sunday, June 27, followed by a 24-3 defeat against the Waratahs the following Wednesday.
The dip in form, Rakete said, came about as the Brumbies consistently changed their lineups and looked to blood new players.
"The Waratahs have always been our biggest target," she said.
"They're the team that everyone aims to beat, but we had a lot of debutants and different teams. Each game, our lineups were a bit mixed, we had new players in the team and coming off the bench.
"I think we got a roll on and because we made the switches, it was hard to keep that ball rolling.
"Thankfully, everyone that did play and everyone who was debuting knew their roles and it really paid off on Saturday."
The Brumbies' policy of experimentation led to some surprising changes to the lineup, not the least of which was the decision to bring Rakete and Zali Waihape Andrews - who usually starts at number eight - off the bench after half time on Saturday.
"I think what the coaches had in mind was to play them, let them play their game, and then have a spark come off the bench," Rakete said.
"And I think that did help us win our game."
The creative selections were made, Rakete said, with future campaigns in mind. Due to the large number of debutants in the squad, the coaches wanted to ensure they were all prepared for the rigours of representative rugby and, as a result, the team would be stronger in years to come.
"It's pretty important that everyone in the team gets a go," Rakete said.
"We're all in the same team, and at the end of the day we're only as good as our weakest player. I feel like it's completely different to last year, where we had our core team and you had to fight for a spot.
"This year, I think the coaches gave all the girls a lot more of a chance - our whole 28 actually debuted this year, which I think is great.
"We've got a lot of young girls coming up, so that'll give them the confidence to take back to club and come back bigger and better next year."
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