All Blacks prop Tyrel Lomax required 30 stitches for a cut to his knee sustained in Saturday's record loss to South Africa at Twickenham.
Lomax, 27, lasted less than 15 minutes in the match before limping from the field with fears his Rugby World Cup campaign could be over.
However, speaking post-match, coach Ian Foster confirmed the injury was not to his knee as first feared, rather a gash from a stray boot that left him unable to continue.
In the hours since the defeat, Lomax has been treated by doctors. While Foster is confident he'll be able to play on in 2023, the chances of Lomax turning out for the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup opening match against France on September 9 are thin.
"Tyrel is very sore," Foster updated.
"He's our worst injury. He's got 30 stitches, he got stitched by a surgeon last night at different depths. It's actually gone into the muscle.
"His leg will be in a brace for four or five days as we give that a chance to heal.
"Long term, he looks good. But that's put him into the 'unlikely' category in a fortnight."
Meanwhile, Foster and the All Blacks have been buoyed by the news that the pair of Brodie Retallick and Shannon Frizell are both on course to return earlier than predicted.
Retallick (knee) and Frizell (hamstring) both missed the defeat to South Africa, with fears over their status for the upcoming World Cup. Like Lomax, the duo are unlikely to be fit for the tournament opener, but the pair will be involved heavily in the quest for a fourth Webb Ellis Cup.
"Both [are] running pretty well," said Foster. "[They're] probably slightly ahead of schedule, but unlikely for France.
"But [they're] going well."
The All Blacks will relocate from London to Germany in the coming days, where they will complete their final preparations for the World Cup.
