All Blacks captain Scott Barrett will miss the side's Nations Championship rugby Tests in July and their historic tour to South Africa in August and September because of a back injury.
The 32-year-old forward will undergo surgery to rectify an ongoing back problem, ruling him out of the rest of the Super Rugby season with the Christchurch-based Crusaders.
"He has tried every non-invasive trick you could do to get right and it just hasn't come off, so he'll be in the operating theatre by the end of the week," Crusaders head coach Rob Penney said.
"He's got his head around it now - a pretty special trip to South Africa that he's going to miss and some other bits and pieces. But ultimately, he's just got to get himself right."
