His main competitors for the No 7 jersey for the southern franchise have both cried off sick at this stage and Lentjes appears a rock-solid certainty to start for the Highlanders next week against the Chiefs in the first game of the new Super rugby season.
Dan Pryor is still recovering from a knee injury he picked up in the Mitre 10 Cup and is unlikely to be sighted for another month at best.
Shane Christie is bothered by a health issue which curtailed his Super rugby regular season last year.
He left the field at halftime in a game against the Kings in Port Elizabeth after complaining of feeling unwell and the whole episode was all somewhat mysterious.
He managed to play only one more game for the Highlanders that season, missing the semifinal against the Lions.
The 31-year-old returned to play for Tasman and went on the New Zealand Maori end-of-year tour but Highlanders coach Tony Brown said Christie was battling medical issues and it was unclear when he would be available. He was undergoing tests by Highlanders medical staff but it was not known exactly what was wrong with the Tasman captain.
Brown said Lentjes had taken his game to a new level so far this season and he had a really good pre-season.
The Highlanders will take on the Waratahs in their final pre-season match in Sydney tomorrow night.
The side’s eight All Blacks will get a run, although time will be limited on the field.
Injury-wise, the Highlanders came through the Brisbane Tens in a reasonable state with only first five-eighth Marty Banks missing tomorrow night’s match.
He took a bang on the knee but it is not serious.
The news for injured hookers Ash Dixon and Greg Pleasants-Tate is more positive as Dixon improves from a back injury and Pleasants-Tate nurses a knee injury.
Both players are still a couple of months away from playing but are making progress every day, Brown said.