Kurtley Beale will ignore the wishes of his coach that he rest a painful foot injury to back up at inside-centre for the Waratahs in Auckland on Friday.
Beale revealed he was looking at surgery and a four- to six-week recovery after aggravating the injury in the Waratahs' 19-12 win against the Bulls last week.
It is understood he was urged to sit out the match after training just once this week, but the 39-Test Wallaby is desperate not to break his most consistent run of games in three years.
"[The ankle] got jammed up early in the first half and there's a bit of a spur in there," he said before the team's trip to Auckland on Thursday.
"At the beginning of the season I knew there'd be a bit of pain here and there and it's just unfortunate that it got jarred a bit more than it has been in previous instances."
It forced him from the field at half-time and put him in doubt for Friday's clash with the Blues.
Although coach Michael Cheika preferred he not play in Auckland, Beale was determined to start alongside fullback Israel Folau and five-eighth Bernard Foley and proved he was fit by making it through an intensive session in Sydney on Wednesday. He faces the delicate task of managing the injury and fitting in an operation at some point this season.
"I've been playing a lot of games straight and I haven't had that for a while – last year was pretty interrupted as well – so the [three-day] rest has freshened me up a bit," Beale said.
The Waratahs are not too worried the injury will interrupt the season of their in-form playmaker, who is creating opportunities for Folau and his wingers.
But there is a chance he could miss someTests if the injury flares up again. Beale said he hoped to fit in the surgery during some time off.
"[It might take] four to six weeks ... We'll take it week by week," he said. "I know my body and how it copes with certain injurites.
"At the moment the medical staff here are doing a fine job managing it and we've got a really good understanding of how to approach it. I backed their decision all week and it's paid off, so I'm excited about getting over to Auckland."
It would be a big blow for the Wallabies should Beale require surgery any earlier than the summer break.
His emerging versatility in the back line gives Test coach Ewen McKenzie even more options for the three-Test series against France in June and the Rugby Championship, which kicks off in August.
Beale has found his transition to the midfield challenging but is relishing the opportunity to stabilise his career at the Waratahs with an interrupted run of games.
"It's been a while and the body is holding up, but it's a matter of not overdoing it or overplaying it," he said.
"What helps is the players around you. I'm just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that come my way and there's always that factor of playing consistent football in the back of my head, lingering."
The Waratahs have been talking up the attacking opportunities against the New Zealand teams but will need to smooth out the kinks in their attack if they are to take advantage of the Blues' more open style of play.
Assistant coach Daryl Gibson has been working with five-eighth Bernard Foley on squaring up the side's attack and Beale said it was time for he and his team mates to cast off the shackles.
"It's crucial to hold square and try to engage the defence, if you crab across field they pick it off easily," he said.
"With the defensive structures the NZ teams play, with that hold-off slide defence, it's going to be crucial for us to square up and try to attack the inside shoulder.
"We're halfway through the competition now and it's a great opportunity for guys to step up and use their individual brilliance. That's a plan we want to take into [the] game."
Beale will line up opposite Ma'a Nonu, the mercurial Blues centre who seems to save his best form for the All Blacks jersey.
The Waratahs' No.12 has been used out the back in defence this season to take advantage of counter-attacking opportunities, but said he backed his defensive capabilities against the bulldozing New Zealand centre.
"I don't try to focus on it too much but whenever I get the chance I try to defend well," he said.
"I'm out there to do a job for my team and each week I'm trying to work on the weaknesses of my game. It's always going to be like that for me because being in the frontline you're going to get that traffic."
