RA staff and those at Super Rugby franchises are likely to be eligible for the government’s JobKeeper payment and are awaiting clarity to see if some can return to work earlier on reduced hours. At the Waratahs,chief executive Paul Doorn confirmed roughly 70 per cent of his 70 staff would be stood down for three months as well,with coaches and team officials to learn their fate in coming days.

‘‘It’s difficult,’’ Doorn told the Sydney Morning Herald. ‘‘We’ve been put onto a stand-down and will be managing the business on a skeleton staff just to keep things ticking over so we are well and truly prepared for when the time does come to recommence both community and professional sport. We won’t be able to afford to keep all our coaching staff.”

Rebels boss Baden Stephenson,who has 40 full-time and five part-time staff,said in a statement that all would be “either be temporarily stood down or continue with reduced workloads and commensurate pay reductions until at least 1 July”.

The ACT Brumbies will be in a similar boat to the Rebels,with both operating a skeleton staff.

"This is the hardest decision ever made by the Brumbies as an organisation and also for myself personally,” Brumbies boss Phil Thomson said."I am confident that the Brumbies family will bounce back."

The Queensland Rugby Union will also have reduced staff numbers but hopes,like other clubs,to pay its employers through the JobKeeper allowance.

Meanwhile,speaking about Tuesday's 75-minute meeting with RUPA,Castle said:“We shared with the Rugby Union Players Association today the breadth of our cost-cutting including the standing down of 75 per cent of our staff. We will work closely with RUPA to reach an agreement which is appropriate given this unprecedented situation.”