A frustrated David Pocock is in danger of being ruled out for another three weeks as the superstar flanker struggles to overcome the calf injury which has derailed his season.
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Pocock is expected to miss the ACT Brumbies' clash against the Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night and medical staff are reluctant to put a definite timeframe on his comeback.
The Brumbies are hopeful Pocock, who hasn't played since March 8, will be back in time to play against the Pretoria Bulls in Canberra on May 25.
But his likely absence this week will rob the Brumbies of desperately needed fresh legs after a taxing two-game tour of South Africa and Argentina.
The Brumbies are still in the race for a finals berth despite having Pocock on the field for just three of 10 games so far this season.
Rookie Jahrome Brown has stepped up after getting his opportunity to shine, but injuries to Lachlan McCaffrey (knee) and Rob Valetini (knee) have put added strain on the Brumbies' back-row stocks.
"Great to have the team back from Argentina," Pocock said on social media on Tuesday.
"Looking forward to getting stuck into training this week with them. It's been a frustrating time on the sideline but making progress."
A fit Pocock would be a massive boost to the Brumbies' charge towards the finals if they can stay in touch with Australian conference leaders the Melbourne Rebels.
The Brumbies are level with the NSW Waratahs and four points behind the Rebels in the battle for Australia's guaranteed finals spot.
But Pocock's injury concern has wider ramifications, with Wallabies coach Michael Cheika certain to be nervously watching the recovery process before the World Cup in Japan later this year.
Pocock has played games for the Wallabies than he has for the Brumbies in the past two years and the fact this could be his last season in Australia could limit him to just four more games in his Super Rugby career.
The 31-year-old is yet to make a decision about whether he will stay in Canberra beyond this year.
The Brumbies had hoped Pocock and Lachlan McCaffrey would provide them with reinforcements this week after the squad returned to Canberra late on Monday night.
But the pair are expected to be unavailable to be the fresh injection after a heavy travel schedule and massive defensive load in the past two weeks in Cape Town and Buenos Aires.
The Brumbies have made more tackles than any team in the competition, including a staggering 361 in matches against the Stormers and Jaguares.
Defence coach Laurie Fisher lauded the players' tackling grit, but said they would have to be smarter when they have the ball to beat the Blues.
"They've been big defensive loads, but we've coped pretty well," Fisher said.
"The Stormers and Jag forwards are big boys, so sometimes you get the double-whammy of being cleaned out as well. It is taxing.
"The attitude and the work-ethic of the guys are superb. But detail and execution can improve. There's a belief that if we can get better at what we're trying to do, we can open teams up and score tries.
"That's about retaining possession, being in slightly better positions ... we definitely need to fine-tune our attack. We're not making metres or busting tackles we need to, it's a whole mixture of things we need to take forward."
Meanwhile, the Brumbies are still searching for another hooker to add to their roster after Josh Mann-Rea suffered a season-ending knee injury in Cape Town.
Mann-Rea is expected to be sent for more scans this week to assess the severity of his suspected anterior cruciate ligament damage, which could end the 38-year-old's professional rugby career.
Canberra junior Lachlan Lonergan is playing for the Australian under-20s side and will add an extra body to training when he returns to the capital, but the Brumbies need to add another rake to the squad as injury cover.
Former Brumbies hooker Robbie Abel was considered as an option, but he is unable to return to the club because he has already played for Melbourne this year.
SUPER RUGBY ROUND 12
Saturday: ACT Brumbies v Auckland Blues at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
