The draw for the 2024 Buildcorp Super Rugby Women's season has been confirmed, with the Queensland Reds returning to Ballymore to face the Fijian Drua in a Grand Final rematch in Round 1.
The Drua clash is one of two home games for Queensland in 2024, with last year’s runners-up also taking on the Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium in a huge double header with the Super Rugby Pacific side.
Next year's five-round Super W regular season, plus two-week finals series, will feature a record 12 matches to be played alongside Super Rugby Pacific fixtures in both Australia and Fiji.
With all matches also broadcast live and on-demand on Stan Sport, it will be easier than ever for rugby fans to support their favourite Super W team.
After kicking-off their season against the reigning premiers, Queensland travel across the country to take on the Western Force in Round 2.
A massive clash against the Brumbies on Queensland soil follows, before the Reds are on the road again to face the Melbourne Rebels and New South Wales Waratahs in Round 4 and 5 respectively.
The 2024 season will also see additional investment into new women's high performance environments and player development pathways, with the Next Gen Sevens evolving into the Super Rugby Women's 7s competition and the launch of an all-new Super Rugby Women's U19 competition.
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said: "The Super W draw for 2024 ensures we will be showcasing the best women's rugby players from across Australia and Fiji to the biggest possible audience.
"We are also excited to implement an official three-week pre-season window next season, which will see our Australian clubs host a number of trial games against teams from Oceania and Japan.
"At the same time we are building our development pathways through the Super W 7s and Super W U19s, to help grow the next generation of Super W, Wallaroos and Sevens stars.
"Combined with the strong growth in women's Sevens and XVs participation at a community level, the future is undoubtedly bright for women's rugby in Australia.
"While we would have loved to expand the Super W competition – and we remain committed to doing so – the reality is that the investment required to do so for 2024 would have required the removal of funding from other areas of the women's program, such as development, the new high performance staff and player payments.
"As we continue to take deliberate and strategic steps to grow and enhance the women's game, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Buildcorp, who continue to be an incredible supporter of women's rugby and a key participant in the journey.
"In the near future we will be able to share more details about the second phase of Rugby Australia's strategic plan for the growth of the women's game, encompassing the 2024 and 2025 seasons leading into the next Rugby World Cup in England."
The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals, where they will compete for a place in the Grand Final, to be held on the last weekend in April.
