All Blacks pair Will Jordan and Leicester Fainga'anuku will miss the Rugby Championship opener against Argentina in Mendoza, with neither travelling to South America.
Jordan, 25, is continuing to manage a migraine-related vestibular condition that ended his 2022 season, and kept him sidelined for the opening rounds of this season's Super Rugby Pacific campaign.
However, coach Ian Foster assures the measure is simply precautionary, with one eye on the rest of the upcoming season.
"Will has been going really well but in order to make sure he keeps tracking that way, we've decided to withdraw him from the long-haul trip to Argentina," said Foster.
"This is more of a precautionary measure that we've put in place with the bigger picture of 2023 in mind."
Elsewhere, Fainga'anuku will be absent due to a calf injury, with Shaun Stevenson named to travel with the side.
The 26-year-old was initially overlooked for Foster's 36-man Rugby Championship squad, and named as injury cover for Blues winger Mark Telea.
However, the loss of both Jordan and Fainga'anuku sees him elevated to a fulltime squad member, in line for a potential debut.
Hurricanes prop Tevita Mafileo has also travelled with the squad, after joining camp earlier in the week.
