Shane Christie has been ruled out of this weekend’s game against the Lions with a back injury that was sustained during training on Thursday.
John Hardie has been called up to start in the number seven jersey against the Lions on Saturday night.
Christie has made nine appearances this season, scoring two tries and making 120 tackles, ranking him third in Super Rugby behind Matt Hodgson (149) and Jacques du Plessis (122).
He is expected to be available for selection for the Highlanders’ clash against the Hurricanes in Wellington next week.
Highlanders (revised): 15 Ben Smith (Co-captain), 14 Richard Buckman, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Jason Emery, 10 Hayden Parker, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu (Co-captain), 7 John Hardie, 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Josh Bekhuis, 4 Joe Wheeler, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Chris King.
Replacements: 16 Liam Coltman, 17 Matias Diaz, 18 Kane Hames, 19 Tom Franklin, 20 TJ Ioane, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Trent Renata, 23 Gareth Evans.
Date: Saturday 10 May
Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Kick-Off: 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Garratt Williamson (New Zealand), Kane McBride (New Zealand)
TMO: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)