All Blacks captain Ardie Savea will undergo surgery after dislocating his shoulder during New Zealand’s Test series against the Springboks.
The injury will rule the influential loose forward out of next month’s Bledisloe Cup Tests against Australia, with his return date to be determined after surgery.
New Zealand provided an update on 10 injured players on Monday following the four-Test series against South Africa, which the All Blacks lost 3-1.
Savea’s recovery period could also see him miss the second half of the Nations Championship in November. Shoulder dislocation surgery can typically require several months of rehabilitation.
Fellow loose forward Luke Jacobson is expected to be sidelined for four to five months after suffering an elbow tendon injury, effectively ending his season.
Winger Caleb Clarke will also miss the remainder of the year after rupturing a shoulder tendon, with his recovery expected to take around five months.
Prop Ollie Norris, meanwhile, is recovering from a knee cartilage injury and is expected to return in time for the Super Rugby pre-season.
Centre Anton Lienert-Brown is expected to be out for four to six weeks after suffering a knee injury, while fellow centre Billy Proctor faces a similar recovery period after fracturing his shoulder blade.
Quinn Tupaea could return in time to face Australia, with the centre expected to be available within one to two weeks as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
Flanker Anton Segner is also expected to return within a couple of weeks after suffering ankle-joint inflammation.
Hooker George Bell, who was sent home from South Africa after sustaining a calf injury, has already made a strong return to action. He scored three tries for Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship on Sunday.
New Zealand will host Australia in Auckland on October 10 before the teams meet again in Sydney the following week.
The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003, when Australia last claimed the trophy.