LONDON: The Wallabies are banking on David Pocock's super-human recovery ability to ensure he's fit to play against Scotland in the World Cup quarter-final on Sunday (Monday morning AEDT).
Pocock is on track to keep his World Cup campaign alive after scans on his injured calf showed no tear or significant muscle damage.
But the Wallabies' medical staff will still tread carefully with his return to training, easing him into sessions on Wednesday before the coaches decide if he is ready to play.
Pocock's calf will be the most talked-about body part in Wallabies camp this week as they attempt to avoid a shock exit from the tournament.
Wallabies attack coach Stephen Larkham described Pocock as a "quick healer" and was confident he would play against Scotland despite missing the first training session of the week.
"He didn't train today but we're hopeful he'll be right to train tomorrow [Wednesday], and the way we have been selecting the team is if he is fit to play on game day, he is available to be selected," Larkham said.
"At this stage he is on track to be right to play. We are certainly hoping he will do a little bit tomorrow. We will wait and see.
"There's a pretty good team here working non-stop to make sure he is right … we gave it an extra day's rest. He is a pretty quick healer and I expect him to start training by the end of the week."
Pocock's week threatened to turn into disaster when he injured his calf in the courageous 15-6 win against Wales last weekend.
He then avoided World Cup suspension after being issued with a warning for using his knee to free himself from Wales' behind-the-play cynical holding tactics.
Pocock got an official warning from World Rugby officials, but was not cited for the incident involving Wales hooker Scott Baldwin.
The Wallabies will also be bolstered by the return of vice-captain Michael Hooper after serving a one-match suspension while Ben McCalman is waiting for his chance if Pocock isn't fit.
"It's good to have everyone on deck," said captain Stephen Moore.
"That's really important at this stage of the tournament. We've already lost a couple of important players to injury.
"Every team goes through that and it's one of the challenges of a World Cup, playing so many games in a relatively short space of time. It's good Dave's all good for the weekend, he's obviously been an important player for us."
The Wallabies have lost two of their last three Tests against Scotland, including a horror night in Newcastle three years ago when Greig Laidlaw booted an after-the-siren penalty to sink Australia to a new low.
Many expect the Wallabies to cruise past Scotland and into a semi-final clash against either Ireland or Argentina.
But the Wallabies are burnt by the memory of the past and won't allow themselves to look beyond their quarter-final showdown.
"Pretty average, I opened the curtains during the day and I think I saw one of the bins rolling down the middle of the street and I thought, 'oh yeah, this is going to be good'," Moore said when asked about losing to Scotland in 2012.
"One of the toughest conditions I've played in my whole career. It was just one of those nights - the wind was howling, raining sideways and they really played well in those conditions.
"There obviously wasn't many points scored in the game, it was pretty tight. They controlled the game really well that night - we know they're a quality team."
