Broken thumb for Squire, chance for Savea?

Highlanders head coach Tony Brown revealed that back-row Liam Squire is set for six weeks out after breaking his thumb.

Brown added that Squire was likely the next in line at number eight for the All Blacks behind Kieran Read, who bizarrely is also out with the same injury.

"Liam Squire has broken a thumb so he will be on the plane home," Brown told Stuff. "Obviously it's looking like six weeks for a broken thumb."

"With Kieran Read out, he was probably next cab off the rank. But hopefully both Kieran and Jerome can get back in time for the Lions," Brown added.

One option at number eight could be Ardie Savea, the Hurricanes back-row who has experience at the back of the scrum.

Hurricanes assistant coach John Plumtree admitted that Savea could do a job in the eight shirt if required, although the All Blacks would need to readjust their back row balance.

Plumtree told Stuff: "They could look at Ardie. It's not his specialist position, but he's talented enough. He's got a good skill base for number eight, speed off the back of the scrum, defensively he's very good and he attacks the ball. He ticks a lot of boxes.

"But he's not Read or Squire in terms of ball-winning at the lineout. He can win ball but he's not a big ball-winner. That would be a negative in terms of him playing at number eight.

"Ardie makes more metres in Super Rugby than most loose forwards, and I'm sure he can do it in test rugby as well. He's not a 112kg ball-carrier, but he's got the fight of a 120kg ball-carrier.

"He's just so tough. If you had him and [Sam] Cane together in a loose trio, you'd definitely need a big ball-winning six. Whether you could get away with three [lineout] targets against the Lions… ideally you want four ball-winners in that lineout."