Born-again flanker and part-time bartender Beau Robinson may have pulled his last beer.

Former NSW Waratah Robinson, who took the gamble and paid his own way north to resurrect his career in Queensland, will gain a belated Super Rugby contract this weekend when he plays his fifth game for the Reds.

The 24-year-old back-rower spent the pre-season juggling training and working, spending more than 20 hours a week behind an Ipswich bar to make ends meet after Queensland were unable to offer him a contract.

But under the Rugby Union Players Association's collective bargaining agreement, a minimum contract is awarded once a player makes five appearances in a season.

Robinson has started and impressed in the past two Reds wins after coming off the bench in the opening two rounds and on Thursday will be named at No.7 to go head-to-head with Springboks linchpin Heinrich Brussow against the Cheetahs on Saturday.

The ball scavenger was unaware his days as an old-fashioned amateur was coming to an end but admitted he was happier visiting the Irish Heart Hotel as a patron than an employee.

"I don't know I'm just worried about getting on the bloody park," said Robinson, who was hemmed in behind Phil Waugh at NSW from 2006 to 2009. "I'll have to look into that.

"So far I'm pretty happy with the way I've progressed and all I asked for was an opportunity and I've been given that and so far I feel like I've made the most of it.

"But we're only in round six and hopefully that can progress through the season."

Reds coach Ewen McKenzie praised the character of Robinson for backing himself to succeed after returning from a short stint in Italy for personal reasons while star playmaker Quade Cooper said he was inspiration to his teammates.

"There's no one out there who works as hard as Beau," Cooper told AAP.

"It gives you a sense of perspective and it's good to see him play his fifth game and get a full contract, but I'm sure it won't be his last."

Robinson is relishing the chance to line up at Suncorp Stadium against Brussow, rated alongside Richie McCaw and David Pocock as the game's best open-side flankers.

Sidelined by an ankle injury last year, Brussow showed he'd lost none of his effectiveness in the Cheetahs' 23-3 upset of NSW last.

"He had an absolute cracker of a year (in 2009) and what I've seen so far he's back on the right path to playing some of his best football," said Robinson, who warned the Reds needed to improve at the tackle contest.

"Our defence has been good but I think the physicality side has been lacking a little bit."

Skipper James Horwill is expected to add some muscle to the Queensland pack so long as he pulls up well from a full return to training after four weeks out with a high ankle strain.

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