But he's put his fractured cheekbone, and hopefully his bad luck, behind him and will play his third game back against the Cape Town Stormers at Newlands on Saturday night.

He was confident the Brumbies will have recovered from their travel to South Africa by the end of the week.

The USA-born flyer has been beset by injuries throughout his career, which started with the Waikato Chiefs before he moved across the Ditch.

He's had two ankle operations and a patella reconstruction, which is why the 30-year-old has only played 35 Super Rugby games.

Pulu scored his first try for the Brumbies in their 31-20 victory over the Johannesburg Lions at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.

Before surgery on his shattered cheekbone, he was set to miss at least six weeks - but it could've been the rest of the season depending on what the surgeons found.

"I was just happy that I was able to come back and play this season," Pulu said.

"After that first injury I got in the first game I thought my season was over.

"It was exciting to be back and just be able to help the boys and do what I can to help the team out."

Pulu said he'd had so many injuries throughout his rugby career that dealing with them wasn't hard.

Having to watch his teammates play was another thing though.

He's also questioned whether he has some sort of curse, given everything that's kept him on the sideline so far.

"That's what I was thinking - I can't have this much bad luck in my life," Pulu said. "Because I've been through so many injuries it doesn't take a toll on me that much.

"The hardest part is not being out there with the boys. The injury side is nothing too new to me, that side wasn't too hard to get over."

Pulu said it was now just about testing his body on the playing field.

And making sure he doesn't put his head back where it doesn't belong.

"A lot of people ask me if my confidence was good going into that first game," he said. "The confidence, if you see me come back from every other injury that I've had, that's not the problem.

"I believe that I've done the job and the coaching staff and the physios and the trainers have done their job to get me out there prepared to go and do my job.

"It's going in there and thinking about not putting my face in bad situations."

SUPER RUGBY ROUND 10

Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Cape Town Stormers at Newlands, 11.05pm.