All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw faces being sidelined until late April after breaking a thumb in the Crusaders’ 35-24 Super Rugby loss to the Blues in Auckland.
The injury happened during the first half at Eden Park on Friday night and the 124-Test loose forward didn’t come back for the second spell.
An x-ray confirmed the break, with a team spokesman saying medical advice was that the usual recovery time for such an injury was up to eight weeks.
McCaw, 33, missed most of last year’s Super Rugby competition while he was on a sabbatical.