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Waugh cleared to play

Sydney - The Waratahs' chances of winning a maiden Vodacom Super Rugby title have received a major boost, with skipper Phil Waugh cleared to play against the Crusaders on Friday.

According to the allblacks.com website, Waugh, who was expected to be sidelined for at least three months with a bicep injury suffered against the Reds, will instead play through the pain barrier for the remainder of the campaign.

Scans conducted on Monday morning confirmed the veteran suffered significant ligament damage to his right bicep during his try-saving tackle on Reds wing Digby Ioane.

But while it was originally feared the hard-headed skipper would require surgery to repair the injury, team medical staff are confident the 30-year-old won't do any further damage by playing on.

"It's actually better than I thought, I pulled up this morning with not much pain and the strengths really good so we're just progressing with training tomorrow and hopefully I'll be right for Friday," Waugh told a stunned media contingent on Monday.

"I had the MRI and saw the specialist and at this stage we're going to go with the conservative approach and train and hopefully it pulls up okay after that and then go into the game on Friday."

"There's significant damage to the tendon so the prognosis is as expected, but the treatments probably just a little bit different to what we first thought."

"I guess the pleasing part of it is it's not going to get any worse."

"And that's the confidence I've got going into the game is that the damage is done and now it's just a matter of strengthening it and managing it and I'm fairly confident that it will go well."

But Waugh concedes he feared the worst when he first suffered the injury.

"I haven't slept much over the last 48 hours and was obviously a little bit down after the game thinking I might have three months on the sideline but the medical staff here at the Waratahs have been superb in researching the injury and looking at other options."

Coach Chris Hickey concedes he would like to see Waugh to complete Tuesday's training session but says he's prepared to back the skipper's judgment.

"If he's made the decision that he's right to play then he's right to play," Hickey said.

"He makes that decision with an understanding of the implications for the team.

"It's not just a personal decision it's about the team and if he's confident and the medical advice we've received [is correct] then he's right to go.

"Certainly on Saturday night things didn't look so optimistic for us but I think it's indicative of Phil's attitude towards his game and his determination to continue playing and leading the Waratahs through this Super Rugby season."

Meanwhile, Hickey revealed blindside flank Dave Dennis (corked calf) and Tatafu Polota-Nau (shoulder) are in some doubt for the clash, with a decision on their availability to be made following Tuesday's session.

Flyhalf Berrick Barnes is expected to make the trip across the Tasman with the squad on Wednesday after recovering from a heavy concussion on Saturday.
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