But hers? A little bit different.

"I never actually watched a game of XVs rugby until 2018 which was the first year of Super W," Leonard said.

"I went into the trials for the first year of Super W not really knowing how a lineout or a maul works, or the intricacies of the game, or what all the laws were."

Now the ACT Brumbies co-captain finds herself on the verge of a World Cup appearance across the Tasman with a Wallaroos outfit chasing a maiden title in New Zealand from September 18.

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The 25-year-old lock is poised to help launch a resurgence for women's rugby as Australia's premier players prepare for the return of Super W with an eye on booking their tickets to Auckland and Whangarei at season's end.

"That dream or that moment happened a lot later for me than when I was growing up," Leonard said.

"There was definitely a moment from the first time I started with sevens and got out on the field training, and started learning the game and experiencing what it feels like to jump in a lineout or experiencing the physicality in a ruck, it definitely drove me to want to be a part of the XVs space.

"When I saw the opportunity that came with the first year of Super W and saw the game is growing, it definitely sparked something in me to want to go out in another jersey and be the best I could be in that space."

Rugby Australia officials are still working to lock in the structure of the Super W competition to kickstart a huge year for women's rugby on the road to the World Cup.

Leonard and the Brumbies were left heartbroken last year when Super W was scrapped altogether on the eve of the finals in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But now they find themselves on the comeback trail with something of a redemption story, with the Brumbies' newfound women's academy already bringing the region's best prospects together for training as they build towards a national tournament-style competition.

Officials have held talks about launching the competition with a round of standalone games before bringing all five sides together in one location, where they will play multiple games in a week-long series.

"The idea around all of that is this year is a big year for women's rugby and rugby in general with both the Olympics and the World Cup," Leonard said.

"With the year we've just had, I'm trying to take one thing at a time and I'm hoping Super W goes ahead as planned and that we're able to keep our numbers down in Australia to be able to get the teams into one place and play some games.

"That will be step one, getting through that competition. With all going well across the sea as well, we can start to really start to build and look forward to those games at the end of the year we've got planned, and performing as well as we can at the World Cup and hopefully being a part of that myself."

Leonard's rapid rise through the ranks saw her earn a Wallaroos debut in 2019 but even she admits the thrill of pulling on a gold jersey for the first time may pale in comparison to the heights of a World Cup appearance.

The task ahead of the Wallaroos - and the bulk of their rival teams, for that matter - is no mean feat.

They head to New Zealand on a mission to unseat a rugby powerhouse on home soil. The Black Ferns have won five of the past six World Cups and are tipped to reign supreme once more.

Yet Leonard dreams of an upset as she ponders the butterflies she feels every time she pulls on the jersey, a feeling she proclaims "one of the best I've ever had in my life".

"It's a feeling you can't really describe or you can't replicate until you're out there signing the national anthem, or you're out there on the field playing the game," Leonard said.

"From the stories I've heard from some of the girls who have been around for longer than I have, the World Cup is another step up.

"The atmosphere is even bigger and even better, the physicality is harder, playing games week in, week out, for more than two weeks in a row adds that element of fatigue as well.

"It would be an incredible opportunity to be a part of and an experience you carry with you for the rest of your life."