The Wallabies were beaten 34-17 by New Zealand at Twickenham and didn't pocket a cent more than their regular Test match payments.

This time around it is understood they are proposing no hike on the 2015 payment amount of $100,000 a player in the 31-man squad, plus a $10,000 a game match payment for every player in the match-day 23, which is likely to be pooled and distributed throughout the 31-man squad.

But they do want the $100,000 broken down into bonus payments for making the quarters, semis, the final and an against-the-odds World Cup win.

The All Blacks agreed with the New Zealand Rugby Union a $150,000 bonus per player if they win, and $35,000 if they finish runners-up.

RUPA chairman Bruce Hodgkinson confirmed the players had put their proposal to Rugby Australia but were yet to hear back.

"That's being negotiated as we speak," Hodgkinson said. "My understanding is that participation agreements are required [by World Rugby] by the beginning of July. Most of the teams have already negotiated and have bonus structures in place. At this stage we don’t have a finalised agreement."

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The 2015 agreement was also agreed late in the piece and pitched by then-ARU boss Bill Pulver as the right thing to do for a game struggling financially.

The total $4.7 million figure fell well short of the $5.7 million on offer in 2007 and was also lower than the $4.9 million agreed ahead of the 2011 World Cup – neither of which were paid out after the Wallabies crashed out in the quarters and semis respectively.

Rugby Australia has not had to pay out a knockout stages bonus since 2003.

In 2011 a $25,000-a-player reward was on offer in the semis and $85,000 in the final. In France in 2007 it was $42,000 in the semi-finals and $85,000 for the final.

The bonus system began in 1999, when the Wallabies received an extra $30,000 a player for winning their second Webb Ellis trophy. In 2003 the issue almost caused a player strike and saw the then-ARU and RUPA battle it out in the Supreme Court before a $100,000-per-player win bonus was settled upon. The players settled for $20,000 each after falling to England in extra time, as well as $12,500 a Test.

In 2015 the Wallabies went into the World Cup after a period of huge tumult, during which coach Ewen McKenzie resigned less than a year out from the global event.

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RUPA was prepared to forego a semi-final bonus in recognition of the fact that only a World Cup win would deliver the code an immediate financial uplift in Australia. The decision also mirrored fans' expectations, outlined in a strategic survey at the time, that success in the eyes of supporters meant nothing short of victory at a World Cup.

Conversely, when the Michael Cheika-led Wallabies stormed their pool and beat Scotland and Argentina to make the final, they received no extra financial reward for what was at the time an unexpectedly fine campaign and a huge boost for the game at home.

Meanwhile, RUPA will go to market again for a chief executive after the sudden resignation of Prataal Raj after just eight months in the role. Respected player services general manager Toby Duncan will act in the role while a replacement is found.

"We're very comfortable that Toby will pick up the reins as he’s done for us before and make sure we can provide the players with all the services that they need whilst we’re in that search process," Hodgkinson said.

"There’s a lot of instability in the game at the moment created by all of the circumstances going on outside the game and we have to make sure that the players are able to get the support they need to concentrate on the jobs that they’ve got to do, particularly the guys going into the Wallabies squad who are preparing for a World Cup."