Why Hunter Wildfires 'need to get on the field' after reality check

The loss at Sydney University in wet and wild conditions snapped a three-match winning streak for Hunter in Sydney women's premier rugby union.

De Dassel, who has returned to the coaching staff this campaign after mentoring the women's side to finals in 2022, was not using the weather as an excuse but conceded rain had disrupted recent training.

"The weather was poor but it was poor for both sides, so I think it's just preparation and a bit of knowledge of a few key things that we wanted to do," de Dassel said.

"The game had a lot of positives for us. We had some tremendous defensive efforts, particularly in the first half and it was nil-all until just before half-time.

"We certainly squandered some opportunities in attack, but that's probably a product of the fact we haven't been able to train for two weeks [due to the weather].

"We've had some players come back from Super rugby duties and we just lacked a bit of cohesion, which is fairly understandable given the preparation we've had, or lack thereof."

Sydney University, who are unbeaten in the expanded 11-team women's competition, took a 14-0 lead into the break after piling on the points late in the first half.

It was only the second defeat for Hunter in five outings after opening their campaign with a 7-3 loss to Souths before beating Gordon, Campbelltown and Two Blues.

"It's been a positive start," de Dassel said.

"We've got some way to go, obviously as the scoreline against probably the benchmark of the competition suggests. But there's certainly some pleasing things to come out of the game."

De Dassel welcomed the return of ACT Brumbies second-rower Kate Holland after a short break following the Super W season.

"It's great to get Kate back and Kyah Little as well," de Dassel said.

"They've been training and preparing in that Super Rugby environment and you can see that.

"They bring back a wealth of knowledge but also a wealth of skill and experience that the other girls can feed off."

Hunter return to No.2 Sportsground next Saturday to host Warringah in round six.

In round five of Hunter Rugby Women on Saturday, Maitland beat Hamilton 12-7 at Marcellin Park and Nelson Bay thrashed Southern Beaches 83-0 at Bill Strong Oval.