THE ACT Brumbies are still waiting on tenterhooks over whether or not their only planned pre-season trial remains on track before the official Super Rugby opener.

Western Australia is in a state of lockdown after confirmation over the weekend of a UK-variant coronavirus case was found in a hotel quarantine security guard.

That has ensured the home trial clash against the Western Force on Saturday has now been postponed.

Just two weeks ahead of the Super Rugby season proper between the same two teams in Perth, the Canberra fixture has been rescheduled until at least Tuesday.

The delay in holding the trial three days later will allow Force players the time to travel from Western Australia after the state’s proposed five-day lockdown is over.

Brumbies front rower James Slipper remains hopeful that the WA rival will be cleared to play at Viking Park so not to upset the preparation of either side.

“Fingers crossed it goes to plan,” Slipper said earlier in the week.

“A fair bit of water has to go under the bridge.

“For us, we’ve just been concentrating on making sure we play good rugby this weekend and most of the boys get a run – that’s probably the most important thing.”

But Slipper indicated his Brumbies, rugby union and sport in general is a resilient beast and it will find a way to work things out.

The Super Rugby competition that included additional teams from South Africa, and one each from Argentina and Japan was cancelled early into the 2020 season.

Both the Australian and NZ sides quickly adapted their own Super Rugby AU and Aotearoa fixtures at short notice last year, which has been the basis of this year’s combined tournaments that will finish under the one Trans-Tasman banner.

“Last year was a good test of character and we just had to adapt – it wasn’t just in rugby but in all sports across Australia and the world,” Slipper said.

“It’s nothing that we are not new to this year and I am sure it won’t be the last thing that happens this year. We just have to make sure we’re ready to go.”