ACT Brumbies inside centre Matt Giteau will be given until the eve of Saturday's must-win Super 12 clash with the Hurricanes to recover from a leg injury.

Giteau has had a further MRI scan on his left leg, which he injured early in the Brumbies' 45-19 drubbing by the Highlanders last Friday night.

The scan cleared him of a fracture, but he has lateral ligament damage and bruising below the knee.

ACT coach David Nucifora said he had decided to give the 20-year-old extra time to prove his fitness after he had shown improvement over the weekend.

"It's a bone bruise injury and our medical advice is that different players respond to the treatment in different ways," Nucifora said.

Giteau's replacement, Pat Howard, was one of the Brumbies' best despite a disappointing team showing against the Highlanders.

With veteran backrower Owen Finegan already a surprise inclusion, winger Mark Bartholomeusz has also joined the squad in Wellington after missing the past four games with a hamstring injury.

Nucifora said ACT would not change its trademark fast-paced multi-phase style of rugby, despite the importance of a win over the second-placed Hurricanes.

A loss would almost certainly rule the Brumbies out of the running for the looming Super 12 semi-finals.

"For us it's about us playing our game as well as we can," Nucifora said.

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