Hold your horses: Brumbies coach Dan McKellar to bottle excitement for new season

It's hoped a season format and schedule will be locked in as early as this week, but negotiations with broadcaster Fox Sports, the Western Force and Japan Sunwolves could delay an official announcement.

A domestic competition is set to start on the weekend of July 3-4, with initial plans to run until September 19 pending the involvement of the Force and the Sunwolves.

Brumbies players will take their training to another level this week when they join in groups of 20 before progressing to full-team training in June.

McKellar's men have been stuck in neutral for the past nine weeks, stalling their charge after winning five of six games to start the 2020 campaign.

"There's already been excitement about the boys being in groups of 10. Going to groups of 20 will be a step up again ... but when there's certainty around the season, it will create a whole lot of excitement," McKellar said.

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"To a certain extent we'll need to manage that. You want to build into it and not get to July 3 or 4 and be as flat as a tack. So we have to be smart about how we prepare and get everyone ready."

The delayed seasons in Australia and New Zealand could lead to a trans-Tasman final series, which would run almost at exactly the same time as the NRL finals, while Tests are set to be played in October or November.

SANZAAR and Six Nations bosses are working together to deliver a global rugby calendar, aiming to "eliminate self-interest" from the game.

McKellar backed the proposal to align international seasons in the northern and southern hemisphere, with a plan to also include a global competition every two years between World Cups.

"The detail of how the model looks is important, but aligning it where possible makes a lot of sense, taking into account player welfare to give them a chance to refresh," McKellar said.

Rugby organisations around the world are forecasting significant financial blows due to the international travel shutdown. Rugby Australia was expected to lose up to $20 million in revenue, while Ireland announced on Saturday it expected to lose $A33.3 million in revenue.

Interim Rugby Australia chief executive Rob Clarke said: "We've been active participants in [the global rugby calendar] discussion and at both a SANZAAR level and in the north, there's still a fair way to run.

"Australia's position is that we should be open-minded to any solution that potentially brings better commercial outcomes as long as it doesn't compromise our high-performance outcomes with the Wallabies. We're open to exploring it further ... it would be foolish to block it up front."

The Six Nations is held at the start of the year, while the Rugby Championship is usually played in August and splits the international calendar. A proposed change would see all internationals played at the same time of year.

"Even though there may be different preferences, from the outset the nations have adopted a mindset that has sought to eliminate self-interest and recognise that the international and club game have shared mutual benefits that if approached and managed correctly can enable both to flourish," SANZAAR and the Six Nations said in a statement.

"A further consultation process, in total transparency with unions, clubs and players, will commence as all parties work towards an aligned global calendar that can deliver a clear and coherent narrative."