The Crusaders have been dealt another blow ahead of their top-of-the-table Super Rugby showdown against the Hurricanes in Christchurch.
Loose forward Jordan Taufua will miss the crucial clash after injuring his calf during the All Blacks training camp earlier this week.
Taufua is the second Crusaders player to suffer a minor injury at the All Blacks training camp in Auckland this week after Tim Perry suffered a hamstring strain to his left leg during a low-intensity team drill on Tuesday.
Pete Samu will replace Taufua at number eight with Ethan Blackadder coming onto the bench.
In total, the Crusaders will be missing eight New Zealand internationals due to injury or suspension for their biggest game of the season.
"Jordan is out tomorrow night," Crusaders coach Scott Robinson told Team Talk on Sky Sports.
"His calf tightened up at the All Blacks camp, so it's a shame for him because he was pretty pumped to play."
The match at AMI Stadium could ultimately decide who will finish on top of the New Zealand conference and the overall Super Rugby standings.
Just one point separates the two teams at the top of the conference standings, with the Crusaders in first spot on 46 points from 12 games.
But despite being in second place in their country's table, the men from Wellington have played one match fewer than the defending champions which highlights the importance of this fixture to both teams.
"If the Crusaders win [on Friday] they're still only one or two points ahead of us, and if the other teams continue to win, either side is catch-able," said Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd.
"The Crusaders still have a bye as well, so they've only got four games left rather than five. As it sits, now you'd say it was a one versus two battle, but you can't predict that's going to be the case in three or four weeks' time."
The Hurricanes have won eight of their last 11 games against the Crusaders.
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