'You just roll on': ACT Brumbies ready for COVID hurdles throughout Super Rugby Pacific season

The ACT Brumbies forwards coach's symptoms were minor but even so he knew it could only mean one thing, because "in 63 years I've had plenty of flus and it certainly wasn't that".

Fisher was one of a handful within Brumbies camp to contract COVID-19 and miss a small chunk of preseason training, with the playing group largely unscathed but not spared amid the rapid rise in case numbers.

Rugby Australia and New Zealand Rugby officials are keeping a close eye on the impact of the virus with players and coaches hoping to be spared from returning to life in a bubble.

The NRL has already placed heavy restrictions on players while the A-Leagues and WNBL have postponed a large number of games as COVID-19 infiltrates the ranks of clubs.

MORE SPORT

Super Rugby Pacific clubs are waiting with bated breath to see how the competition will deal with the virus which could send players into isolation hours before kick-off and force a scramble to fill a matchday squad.

The Brumbies' advice to players at present is to stay home if they are unwell, with Rugby Australia helping to source rapid antigen tests which are proving elusive for many.

"You just roll on. It could be a challenge, it mightn't be an issue at all," Fisher said.

"We've obviously got to try and do everything we can to minimise those disruptions with how we conduct ourselves and all the regulations around looking after yourself. If we do that well, which the boys will, I think we'll have minimal disruptions.

"I don't know where it's going to end up, and governments will make decisions about travel, isolation, quarantine and all those sorts of things. At this stage it's steady as she goes, and you've just got to be making sure you're doing all the things that are required.

"I guess in the end you just deal with what's in front of you. You turn up to work if you've got five blokes or 25 blokes. We were pretty fortunate before Christmas, we had a good group and they worked hard.

"We had a bit of disruption in the new year but again, you just turn up. I think we've got a good plan about where we need to get to so we're adjusting a little bit on the run."

The Brumbies are little more than a week out from their first pre-season trial game, against the NSW Waratahs in Bowral on January 29.

That match will be followed by an internal trial before the Brumbies set their sights on a round one showdown with the Western Force at Perth Oval on February 19.

"The point of playing a nice early trial is to find out perhaps where we're a little bit short. We'll be short in certain areas but then we've got a good, three-week lead-in to the first round," Fisher said.

"We decided to go that way given we've had a lot of Wallabies come back late and we've had a few disruptions around health issues and stuff like that.

"We'll find out where we are on Saturday week and then we'll turn our attention to the important areas.

"We've had an ambition on being better as an individual, better coaching, better program, better as a team. If that's your focus, then it's easy to turn up and try to strive for that."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: