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The Western Force will host the Brumbies and the Queensland Reds will take on the NSW Waratahs in round one of Super Rugby AU.

New Rugby Australia boss Andy Marinos has put the code's "conductors" on notice ahead of Friday's Super Rugby AU openers, when the new golden try rule will be introduced.

Last season's tied games were decided by a golden point rule in extra time, meaning a team could win by merely nailing a penalty or a drop goal.

This year, teams will have to score a try to automatically win in extra time in a tweak that encourages more attacking play.

Also, teams will have just 30 seconds to restart play after points are scored, while scrum resets will be timed by the television match official to crack down on unnecessary delays.

Match officials have been briefed to police the breakdown and the ruck speed, whereby players must play the ball within five seconds of it being made available.

Announcing Harvey Norman as the competition's naming rights partner on Friday, Marinos was confident they would grab their chance on free-to-air television with Channel Nine and streaming service Stan for the first time.

"A ref is like a conductor of the orchestra and the guys really understand the importance that this is an entertainment product and we've got to make it entertaining for the fans," he said.

"We don't want to get bogged down too much in over managing certain situations and they (referees) have bought in and been part of the process."

Round one begins on Friday night, with the Western Force taking on the Brumbies in Perth, while the Queensland Reds host the NSW Waratahs.

The Force's match marks their first Super game in Perth since 2017, before they were axed by Rugby Australia.

Force captain Ian Prior said the golden try rule, with penalties and drop goals not an option in extra time, would encourage teams to "play the game in the right way" while Wallabies prop and Brumbies captain Allan Ala'alatoa expects the tweaks to have an impact.

"For me and the front row, we're going to be tired," Ala'alatoa said.

"Obviously more free kicks. We're hoping it's a more entertaining brand of footy that attracts a lot of viewers, and brings people back to our game."

The six-week, home-and-away Trans-Tasman competition that is due to follow the domestic tournament from May 14 is still expected to go ahead despite continued uncertainty around border restrictions.

There are fears a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand will not be established for the tournament to be run as initially planned.

Rugby Australia's contingencies include playing several games in Hub cities, with an extension of the Super Rugby AU competition a last resort.

"It's important because we want to benchmark ourselves ... we're engaging with the Kiwis to work out how best we put this together," Marinos said.

"We're beholden to government regulations but there's an emphasis from both sides to make sure that happens.

"We saw last year, who would have contemplated a Rugby Championship in a Hub so all options are on the table and if that (Hub cities) is an option we certainly will consider that."