Australia's three traditional rugby powerhouses have called a meeting at ARU headquarters to ensure major staff turnover and a legal battle with the Western Force isn't a distraction for the future of the game.
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Officials from the NSW Waratahs, Queensland Reds and ACT Brumbies will meet at the ARU on Friday in a bid to get clarity on the ARU's plans for next year and beyond.
Australian rugby is at a stalemate as the Force fight to keep their place in Super Rugby and the ARU continues a significant staff transformation.
Chief executive Bill Pulver, chief operating officer Rob Clarke and chief financial officer Todd Day have all resigned this year, while general manager of marketing and insights Jade MacAuslan and general manager of commercial and marketing John Nicholl will soon leave the ARU.
The Force and the Melbourne Rebels are not expected to attend because the meeting was organised at least a month ago and before the outcome of an arbitration hearing last week.
Fairfax Media understands there was no intention to invite the Rebels at late notice despite them looking all but certain now to remain in Super Rugby next year.
The ARU has spent most of the year trying to finalise a decision to axe either the Force or the Rebels from Super Rugby.
It settled on the Force last week after succeeding in arbitration hearing, but RugbyWA has launched an appeal in the NSW Supreme Court and if the appeal is successful, a date next week could be locked in for the matter to be heard.
The saga has left the Waratahs, Reds and Brumbies in limbo with the ARU hierarchy focused on fulfilling a commitment to axe a team.
The concerns prompted a meeting about collaborating on a variety of issues in the game to start plans to end Australian rugby's nightmare period.
The ARU has been hammered on and off the field this year, highlighted by battles with billionaire Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest and broadcaster Alan Jones.
There have been calls for the ARU board to resign in the wake of the off-field drama.
The staff changes and legal process of cutting a team have been a distraction for future-proofing Super Rugby in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra.
It is still unclear if the ARU will increase squad sizes or the salary cap to accommodate players who no longer have a home if the Force is axed.
But the teams have expressed their desire to work together and set up greater collaboration between high-performance units to deliver better results.
Australian teams failed to beat a New Zealand team in Super Rugby this season, losing 26 games in a row against trans-Tasman rivals.
The Wallabies are aiming to end a five-Test losing streak against the All Blacks in a Bledisloe Cup showdown at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, having not won the Bledisloe Cup since 2002 and winning just one of the past 16 Tests against New Zealand.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika wants to promote data sharing between Super Rugby teams to improve the base fitness level for players at each franchise.
The ARU will also implement a new national coaching strategy, with Cheika's assistants to be based around the country to work with Super Rugby teams when appropriate.
