But Pulver says the eligibility overhaul, designed to keep Australia's best players in Wallabies gold, is already paying dividends as Michael Cheika's men prepare for a World Cup quarter-final.

Star fullback Israel Folau and playmaker Bernard Foley face the prospect of almost two years of non-stop rugby and will walk the fine line between burnout and maximising their earning potential when they juggle Wallabies, Super Rugby and Japanese duties at the same time.

Both will start stints in Japan when Australia's World Cup campaign ends before jumping straight back into Super Rugby action with the NSW Waratahs.

They are two of the Wallabies' most prized possessions and play almost every minute of every game.

But Pulver says the ARU will monitor their progress and workload to ensure players aren't overcommitting.

"One of the things we are going to monitor very closely is the player welfare issue," Pulver said. "That's something we have to make sure we find the right balance in. The game is responding to the players' request to play in Japan and we're allowing that.

"In fairness, the Rugby Union Players' Association will be very concerned about this as well. We will very carefully monitor player load.

"We're going into new territory here. We haven't done this before. We have to make sure we're getting it right from everyone's perspective."

The Wallabies played Wales on Saturday night (Sunday morning AEDT) in the last pool match after both teams had already secured places in the quarter-finals.

The ARU's historic eligibility change earlier this year was on display in the match at Twickenham when five players in the Wallabies' starting team benefited from the new rules.

Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell met the 60-Test and seven years of service threshold to be able to play in France and still be available for Australian duties.

Folau (NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes) and Foley (Ricoh) signed flexible contracts this year that allow them to supplement their earnings by signing Japanese contracts to play after the Super Rugby season.

And Dean Mumm and Kane Douglas were picked in the Wallabies, despite not having played a full Super Rugby season in Australia after they committed to deals for next year.

But with Foley set to miss the Wallabies' spring tour of Europe next year because he is playing in Japan, coach Michael Cheika may have a shortage of playmakers.

Quade Cooper has played 58 Tests and his ARU future is uncertain as he weighs up a deal with French club Toulon and the Australian sevens team. If he fails to earn two more Test caps at the World Cup, he falls just short of the eligibility rules.

But the test to how flexible the rules are will come if Foley is unavailable for selection and Cooper is needed to fill the No.10 jersey.

The ARU does have the power to enforce World Rugby's regulation nine to make clubs release players for Test duties.

For now, Pulver is pleased with the results the eligibility change has produced.

"I think we've got the mix right, I'm very pleased with the outcomes so far," he said. "If there are more things [to look at], we'll review them. "The thing that is stopping opening the floodgates totally on this issue is our desire to retain our high-profile players in Australia.

"From a Super Rugby perspective, it's really important those players compete in Super Rugby and provide our fans with something to look forward to.

"I haven't heard anyone say we've got it wrong at this point. But we are open to further ideas and review. We'll keep monitoring."