The All Blacks have been dealt a double blow on their eve of departure for Europe, with both captain Sam Cane and Dane Coles to return to New Zealand with injury.
On Sunday, All Blacks coach Ian Foster confirmed Cane had fractured his cheekbone during the narrow 38-31 win against Japan, while the calf injury that saw Coles scratched from the starting XV late on Saturday is serious enough to rule him out of the remainder of the tour.
Highlanders flanker Billy Harmon and Hurricanes hooker Asafo Aumua have both been called in from the All Blacks XV as their respective replacements.
Foster also confirmed Blues wing Mark Telea - who was called in when Leicester Fainga'anuku went home for family reasons - will remain with the squad, as Will Jordan still can't leave New Zealand due to his inner ear issue.
Lock Patrick Tuipulotu and back Damian McKenzie will both rejoin the All Blacks XV, after being called up as injury cover.
After starting against the Japanese, midfielders Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Braydon Ennor will also link up with Leon MacDonald's squad at Dublin for their clash with Ireland A on Friday.
Foster refused to reveal who would captain the team for the remainder of the tour, but confirmed he had decided which player would take on those responsibilities. Sam Whitelock is the likely candidate to step into the role.
The All Blacks play Wales next weekend, before tests against Scotland and England.
Cole's prognosis for his calf issue of two-to-three weeks is at the lower end of the spectrum but is another cruel twist in a career plagued by injury in recent years.
"It's always disappointing, particularly in the first game of a tour, to have a couple of guys going [home], especially a couple of our leaders," said Foster.
"It's one of those adjustments we keep making, and it creates a great opportunity for the likes of a Dalton [Papalii], who's in good form.
"On the park, it just creates new opportunities. You always want to get through your first couple of games injury-free, but it hasn’t worked out this way. It doesn't change the challenge that's coming up."
Making an immediate impact off the bench, Papali'i was one of the very few bright spots in an otherwise concerning display from the men in black at the National Stadium, who were outplayed for large stretches of the test against the Brave Blossoms.
Foster also said he had high expectations for new entrants Aumua and Harmon, who were both stand-outs during the National Provincial Championship.
"Asafo has been around this All Blacks team for a while, and he's desperate to get back in, and has had this week training with us," he noted.
"Harmon is an experienced campaigner, he played so well for the Highlanders, and played well in July for the Maori against Ireland. He's a quality footballer."
Nevertheless, with a handful of the coach's first-choice All Blacks unavailable, Retallick's date with World Rugby judiciary after his red card for a dangerous clean-out takes on even more weight.
But Foster is confident the veteran lock will be cleared to bring up his century of tests, at least at some stage during the tour.
"It looked pretty innocuous from a number of angles," he said.
"We'll do our talking in the judiciary. We want to present a strong rugby case for it and we’ll see what unfolds.
"The fact the other player bounced straight up and came back into the game, it was almost like nothing had happened."
Retallick's fate should be confirmed on Wednesday.
