Super Rugby Pacific's inaugural season is still five months away, but the New Zealand franchises are already on the back foot, thanks to the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown.
With the NPC currently on hold, the postponed games could be pushed back into November or possibly even December to ensure a full season is completed.
That will almost certainly mean compromises for the Super Rugby clubs looking to hit the ground running in 2022.
The Hurricanes have one of the most gruelling pre-seasons in Super Rugby. Their Surf-to-Peak Challenge, starting in Lyall Bay and finishing atop Mt Victoria is infamous.
But that - and everything else coach Jason Holland had planned for the 'Canes pre-season could be out the window, with the delay to the NPC likely to have big ramifications for next season.
"That's a major difference for us," says Holland. "Normally, you have 3-4 weeks with the boys before Christmas, and you're building on the physical side of it and getting the boys together."
That could now be squeezed into six weeks at the start of next year. With the nationwide lockdown bringing the NPC to a halt, games could be played after the season was due to finish.
"We'll digest this over the next few days, and go back to our key stakeholders - our Super Rugby clubs, our players - and try to figure out what the best plan is," says NZ Rugby head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum.
That means Super Rugby sides could lose a key component of their pre season before the Christmas break.
"It's a really good period for us to get a base and foundation in a lot of areas, and then come back after Christmas and really put more detail in," says Holland.
The start of pre-season typically sees teams mix things up, but a more condensed block is now on the cards and sides acknowledge they have to be flexible.
"We've all learned over the last 18 months to adjust and have a good mindset around it, and not be in a negative mindset around anything that happens," says Holland.
The five Kiwi franchises are excited for a reinvigorated Super Rugby format next year, but their build-up to it already looks increasingly compromised.
