NZ Rugby's revised competition has been given the green light to start on June 13, but exactly where games will be played in two main centres is still up in the air.
The Government's announcement that the country will move to Alert Level 2 on Thursday has cleared the way for Super Rugby Aoteoroa to begin and players expect a rude awakening when it does.
"There'll be a few cobwebs," Hurricanes co-captain Dane Coles has told Newshub. "But I think a lot of the excitement from the boys will get us through."
Coles isn't downplaying the physical toll it will take on players' bodies, but he insists heavy contact won't be rushed.
"We're not going to go back the first day and smash each other. They're going to be really smart, and progress it each week and each day, and do the best they can."
Most teams won't begin their pre-season training until Monday, with staff ensuring team bases are safe from Thursday.
And while Dunedin, Wellington, and Hamilton will host the Highlanders, Hurricanes, and Chiefs respectively, Auckland's Eden Park and Christchurch's OrangeTheory Stadium are yet to be locked in for the Crusaders and Blues.
Blues chief executive Andrew Hore and Crusaders counterpart Colin Mansbridge have both told Newshub that they're still working through the financials of playing at their regular stadiums, that have become much more complex given the lack of ticket, food and drink, and merchandising sales.
Some additional concerns exist over ground maintenance, and health and safety at OrangeTheory Stadium, as well as scheduling issues with event management company Vbase.
Hore and Mansbridge both hope they'll be able to resolve those issues in the next few days.
Most teams won't begin their pre-season training until Monday, with staff ensuring team bases are safe from Thursday.
Despite not playing since March, Players Association boss Rob Nichol is confident teams will have safe processes in place.
"We've got a good track record in New Zealand of bringing players in after off-seasons or reconditioning periods," Nichol notes.
Ten weeks of NZ derbies are sure to take a bigger toll on players' bodies than usual, but Coles doesn't have to think twice about the match-up he's most excited for.
"Be nice to play me old mate [Beauden] Barrett," Coles laughs. "He hasn't even put on a [Blues] jersey yet."
And he won't have to wait long, with the Hurricanes opening their Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign against the Blues in Auckland on June 14.
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