David Pocock will ignore the bumps and bruises of a painful World Cup to realise a childhood dream when he plays in Saturday's final.
Back-row Pocock has been one of Australia's key men on their run to a clash with New Zealand at Twickenham, a journey that has seen them beat England, Wales, Scotland and most recently Argentina in an exacting semi-final.
The toughness of their route to the final has left some weary bones in the Wallabies camp, but few have suffered more than Pocock, who appeared at Tuesday's press conference with a pair of black eyes, cuts on his cheek and a badly-swollen broken nose.
But Pocock, who is also being closely monitored for a calf problem, says nothing will stop him lining up against the All Blacks as the trans-Tasman rivals battle it out for the Webb Ellis Trophy.
"It's one of those things, it's getting towards the end of the season so you've played a lot of rugby and I think your body gets used to recovering," said Pocock, a natural openside flanker who has been a revelation as a No 8 during the tournament.
"I like to consider myself more a lover than a fighter but a bit of a knock on the nose can change that.
"I think the nose is relatively straight. It probably looks worse than it is. It was a bit sore at the time but it's fine now. My partner Emma says as long as I don't start snoring she's happy.
"We've got an outstanding strength and conditions team and medical team and physios that look after us so there'll be no trouble getting up for another game."
Pocock draws inspiration from the 1995 World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand, which he watched as a child from his grandfather's farm in Zimbabwe.
"Certainly for me some of my greatest memories watching rugby were that '95 final," he said. "As a kid, that did something to me. I dreamt about playing in the World Cup after that.
"I've absolutely loved the game of rugby and I'm so grateful for the opportunity that it's given me but I'm very conscious of the fact that at the end of the day it's a game.
"It's there to be enjoyed, it can offer so much to us, but there's certainly a lot more to life than chasing a rugby ball."
And there is one particular Englishman Pocock would love to see in the crowd at Twickenham on Saturday given his admission that he has been spending much of his downtime during the tournament watching wildlife documentaries.
"I'm a big fan of them, particularly David Attenborough. He's a big hero of mine," Pocock told Sky Sports. "On Sunday [after the Argentina semi-final], I put my feet up and was re-watching his Africa series.
"If he wants to come to the final, I'm sure we could organise some tickets. He's a legend."