The NHRU were due to start its competition on March 28.

They were considering putting the season back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Rugby Australia took the decision out of their hands.

The NHRU held a board meeting on Monday night and have started working on a number of contingency plans around a new draw, finals series and representative program.

The grand final had already been moved forward to August 28 to accommodate the Test between the Wallabies and Argentina at McDonald Jones Stadium on September 5.

The edict covers matches, training and face-to-face education courses.

In a statement, Rugby Australia said the decision was made in the best interests of the participants, families and the broader community. Rugby Australia and the Member Unions also vowed to "support the game through this difficult time" and believe the decision will allow for six weeks of planning to deliver a modified season which will commence at the beginning of May.

The NHRU had already cancelled a gala day set down for last Saturday. The representative program has also been stalled.

AAP reports, the Brumbies are open to a Super Rugby draw shuffle that would allow them to complete Australian conference matches while international travel bans impact the competition through the coronavirus crisis.

The Super Rugby competition is on hold indefinitely following the Brumbies' 47-14 win over the Waratahs on Sunday which completed round seven.

That win sent them 10 points clear of the Rebels and Reds, who are their nearest rivals in the Australian conference, while they are just one point behind South Africa's Sharks in the overall standings.

With just one loss for the season the Brumbies are hopeful the competition will be back up and running in whatever format.

"You're hopeful aren't you, that you can turn on the TV and watch Super Rugby or come to games," said Brumbies coach Dan McKellar. "There's obviously health concerns and the experts will look after that. There's obviously people out there who are incredibly sick so you've got to remember that as well. It's challenging times for everyone."

McKellar said their preference was to play other Australian teams while international travel was on hold.

He said they would hold a meeting on Tuesday where they hoped to learn more information from SANZAAR about plans for the competition.

"Yes, we just want to play footy," McKellar said. "If we can get the conference games; it's a conference system so play your conference games and then see where things are at and then hopefully we can have a genuine finals series and the best play the best."