Cape Town - Waratahs utility back Kurtley Beale is set to return to action when his side face the Brumbies in their Australian derby on Saturday.
An elbow injury ruled Beale out of his side's Round Six loss to the Rebels in Sydney and after their Round Seven bye, Beale appears to be on course to make his comeback this weekend.
"Kurtley, if he continues to get through [sessions], then hopefully he'll be available for selection," Waratahs assistant coach Cameron Blades told AAP on Tuesday.
"They'll assess him after today's training but he certainly got through that one reasonably well."
Having Beale back will be a tremendous boost for the 2013 champions, who have found the going tough this season. They are languishing in third place on the Australian Conference table, behind the Brumbies and Rebels, although they have played one match less than their Canberra and Melbourne rivals.
Veteran lock Dean Mumm highlighted the importance of victory over the Brumbies, who claimed a 32-15 triumph over the Waratahs in Canberra in Round Two.
"You must win the games at home and you particularly must win the games at home against the other Aussie teams," he said.
A win against the Brumbies is a must for the Waratahs who are in danger of suffering three successive home defeats - after losses to the Highlanders and Rebels - for the first time since 2007.
"We can't afford it," added Mumm.
"It's a game against a team in your own conference so they're even more important to win.
"But it's a huge game for us. It's the start of a good run of games but you're only as good as the result this weekend against the team that's leading our conference."