Club bosses say "the clock is ticking" to secure rugby's future as Australian franchises work overtime to bounce back from the financial blow of COVID-19.
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Union bosses could make a decision as early as this week with the Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa competitions likely to continue in 2021.
Domestic competitions would run in similar fashion to this year's instalments before a trans-Tasman finals series is run to crown a champion.
Clubs are yearning for certainty on their future so they can begin to present packages to potential sponsors and members.
Broadcast negotiations loom as the biggest piece of the puzzle yet to fall into place, with Rugby Australia in talks with Fox Sports and Network Ten about what the code has to offer television screens.
MORE BRUMBIES NEWS
It comes as the ACT Brumbies hunt for the first Australian domestic title when they host the Queensland Reds in the grand final at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
"We're all waiting for an outcome because we're heading towards the end of September and the pressure is on everyone," Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson said when asked about the broadcast deal.
"The clock is ticking on what our finances look like for 2021, so we need to get that finalised as soon as possible.
"Rugby Australia are fully aware of that and they're working as hard and quick as they can with a number of things they need to get finalised, for what the competition structure looks like and what the broadcast deal looks like.
"There is also a focus at the moment on what the Rugby Championship looks like. There is a massive amount of work being done at the moment at head office."
The Test calendar was flipped on its head when Australia landed a major coup by stealing the Rugby Championship from New Zealand last week.
Two Bledisloe Cup Tests will be played across the ditch to precede the tournament with officials now working to lock in a new kick-off date on October 17.
Quarantine measures would require the Wallabies to fly to New Zealand immediately after Saturday's Super Rugby AU decider.
They would then be confined to their own rooms in strict biosecurity bubbles before a staged release to larger groups, leaving about five days before a proposed October 10 opener.
Meanwhile the All Blacks - unbeaten at home against Australia since 2001 - would be free to train as normal, leading Wallabies coach Dave Rennie to say "we won't be playing a Test under those sort of conditions."
SUPER RUGBY AU GRAND FINAL
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium, 7.15pm.
Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
