The Brumbies are riding high after beating the NSW Waratahs and consolidating their spot at the top of the Australian conference with a record ninth consecutive derby win.

The result was a timely reminder of why the Brumbies are important to Australian rugby and the club will push ahead with plans for the future despite lingering rumours of a merger with Melbourne.

SANZAAR is considering a Super Rugby overhaul that could see one Australian and two South African teams cut from the competition at the end of the year.

The ARU or SANZAAR have given no indication of which Australian team is on the chopping block, but it's unlikely the ARU would allow the Brumbies to interview coaches if they were in danger.

McKellar, the current Brumbies forwards coach, is on a short list and said his interview would not be a distraction as ACT side aims to break a drought against the Otago Highlanders in the capital.

The Brumbies have formed a selection panel, which includes Australian netball coach Lisa Alexander, to find a replacement for Stephen Larkham, who will become a full-time Wallabies assistant at the end of the year.

The well respected McKellar also swatted away talks about the Brumbies' future, dismissing suggestions of a merger with Melbourne as "crazy talk".

"The Brumbies are a pretty unique part of the Australian rugby union fabric," McKellar said.

"Clearly I'm a bit biased. But anyone considering getting rid of the Brumbies, that's not going to do anything to help rugby in Australia. I think that's crazy talk.

"I was a supporter and fan of this club before I arrived here. It's a no-brainer for me. If I was lucky enough to get the job, it would be a privilege and honour.

The Brumbies reinforced their importance to ARU by being the only Australian team to win on the weekend.

Fans have started a "keep the Brumbies in Super Rugby" Facebook page and of the almost 24,000 votes on a Fairfax Media poll, only 10 per cent say the Brumbies should be cut from the competition.

But the only way for the message to be clear is for supporters to turn up at Canberra Stadium to watch the Brumbies play the Highlanders in a trans-Tasman battle.

New Zealand teams have dominated Australian clubs in the past 12 months and the Brumbies have won just once against a Kiwi rival since the start of last season.

However, the new-look Brumbies have shown guts and determination this year that suggests they're on the verge of ending the rut.

"Something we've identified with this group is that they're a team that will hang in there, you can't coach that," McKellar said.

"We've got a bit of momentum now and hopefully Canberra supports us. Ideally we get 15,000 because I'm sure everyone has read about the uncertainty of Super Rugby, and this is a chance for Canberra rugby union community makes a statement."

Most expected the Brumbies to be out of Super Rugby contention this year after losing the likes of Stephen Moore, David Pocock, Matt Toomua, Christian Lealiifano and Joe Tomane in the off-season.

But young guns are stepping up and making their mark on the competition, while winger Henry Speight is in sparkling form and Sam Carter is growing into the captaincy role.

The Brumbies have won two of their four games and McKellar said "we won't get ahead of ourselves", but the signs are good for the club.

The only concern is Josh Mann-Rea's knee injury and the hooker will be assessed on Monday before the coaches decide if they'll call Saia Faingaa into the game-day squad this week.

"We've had the mindset that we didn't want to be a team that was building, we wanted to win," Carter said.

"Two tight losses were tough to take. Our mindset going forward isn't just to hang in there, it's to win."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND FIVE

Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Otago Highlanders at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets from Ticketek.