All-black skipper Scott Barrett was removed from the rest of his side with France due to a calf injury.
The All Blacks confirmed the new one Tuesday morning, but did not provide details on how long Barrett will be on the sidelines.
Blues skipper Patrick Twiploto is one of the options to replace Wellington’s Barrett this weekend, but they didn’t advise him either, but Tupou Vaai could also move from the No. 6 jersey he filled in with Dunedin.
The New Zealand captain was replaced by the 58th minute of a thrilling 31-28 victory in Dunedin. There, the All Blacks were forced to fight the final siren to overcome the French lower troops.
However, the inexperienced Les Bleus side far exceeded local expectations in a match that was eroded by certain TMO-to-TMO injections.
Barrett could potentially be replaced by Starbuck Lower Aldi Sabear, one of the two vice captains on the team alongside Barrett’s younger brother Geordy.
He plays no further role against France, but Barrett will target returns for either the All Blacks opening rugby championship clash with Argentina or the highly anticipated back-to-back test with world champion Springbok.