ACT Brumbies flanker David Pocock will play through the pain of a dislocated finger for the remainder of the Super Rugby season, but is adamant the injury won't be a speed-hump on his comeback journey.
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Pocock has dislocated his left pinky finger in the past two matches and needs to keep it straight for six weeks before it fully heals.
But rather than have time off or have it put in a cast, Pocock will push through as the former Wallabies captain chases his first finals appearance.
The Brumbies returned to Canberra on Monday night holding on to a tight lead at the top of the Australian conference.
Pocock is back to his best as a breakdown menace after two knee reconstructions in the past two seasons.
And after watching from the sideline as the Brumbies stormed into the finals in both seasons, Pocock isn't willing to take a backward step.
"I've got to keep my finger straight for six weeks and it should be fine," Pocock said.
"It will be all right. It's just one of those things. The white line fever kicks in. It's sore, but you're out there and don't really think about it. It's sweet."
The Brumbies beat the Johannesburg Lions to keep their finals hopes alive and finish their South African tour with six points from two games.
They have a two-point buffer in the Australian conference, but the NSW Waratahs can overtake them this weekend as the Brumbies sit helplessly on the sidelines for their bye.
They then must win games against the Pretoria Bulls, Western Force and Canterbury Crusaders to ensure they stay in play-off contention.
The Brumbies have been fighting through a mid-season form slump, which threatened to prematurely end their title hopes.
But Pocock hopes the bonus-point win against the Lions will break the rut after losing four games in five weeks.
"The Lions are a tough team, they showed that. It was a really important win for us, we were gutted after [losing to the Cape Town Stormers]," Pocock said.
"We will use the bye to freshen up, there are some sore bodies in there.
"The thing we've really tried to focus on is our process. Sometimes you don't get the result, so we've been trying to keep it level. We knew the results would come.
"The Tahs have a game in hand, that's something we have to deal with. But I don't think it changes the way you approach games.
"Consistency is starting to come, but there are aspects we have to work on."
