All Blacks captain Kieran Read is to have back surgery this weekend which could rule him out for four months.
Read suffered the injury while on international duty with New Zealand, and is now set to miss the early round of next year's Super Rugby competition with his club side, the Crusaders.
Writing on Facebook, Read said: "Head in for surgery on a disc in my back on Saturday which I injured at the end of the season.
"Hopefully I don't miss too much of the start of the Super Rugby season."
The last 12 months has been an injury-plagued year for Read, with wrist, thumb and hip injuries all troubling the 32-year-old throughout 2017.
Read joins hooker Dane Coles, who has ruptured knee ligaments, as a long-term injury concern for the All Blacks as they head into the New Year.