Craig Newby, Hoani MacDonald and Aaron Bancroft will be missing when the Highlanders play the Reds on Friday night but Steven Setephano and James Wilson are rated possible starters.
Captain Newby continues to recover well from foot surgery and is on track to play in the first home game against the Waratahs on March 1, while MacDonald needs at least two more weeks off with his broken finger but should be available for the same game.
Bancroft's eye injury is more serious than first thought and it will be a month before he can do any sort of training. The better news for coach Glenn Moore is that No 8 Setephano (pectoral muscle) and fullback Wilson (foot) are in contention for the Reds game.
‘‘At this stage, it's looking likely Steven will be available. We'll know more once we've got him into a bit of contact work,'' Moore said yesterday. ‘‘He had a scan of the area that showed a small tear. But we're reasonably satisfied that he's made good progress,'' he said.
Wilson, who suffered a bizarre foot injury falling over his dog the morning of the pre-season game against the Blues, is likely to be available for selection, as is rising winger Fetu'u Vainikolo, who reported back stiffness on Friday.
Moore will name his team to play the Reds on Wednesday and will likely take one extra player for the two-game Australian leg.
He said dealing with injuries was nothing new and was inevitable after a tough game.
‘‘We'd love to have a really cleancut situation where we knew who was available today.
‘‘But the game against the Blues was a real battle. It was a collision, and the Blues are renowned for that. We've got a few bangs and bruises as a result.''
The Highlanders have not called in a replacement for Bancroft because the New Zealand Rugby Union rules there must be two injuries in a ‘‘division'', in this case the midfield backs.
The Highlanders have specialists in Johnny Leota, Niva Ta'auso and Brett Mather, and Daniel Bowden can also cover second five-eighth.
Moore has been pleased with the effort shown by the players in the pre-season and said he was picking his first side based on form.
‘‘I said to the boys on Saturday we had some real selection dilemmas and that's largely because of how well they've performed and trained
‘‘All the things they're doing off the paddock have given us some real headaches this week, and that's exactly what we wanted.''
