Injury blow sees All Black lock replaced by Crusaders teammate

His departure leaves the squad with a gap in an already tricky area of depth. Dunshea will assemble with the team next week in Wellington ahead of the first Bledisloe Cup test.

Canterbury co-coach Reuben Thorne says they only found out during this afternoon's training session, ahead of his side's Mitre 10 Cup match against Wellington this weekend.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for him. We thought he might be in that position already.

"He's one of those guys who just works and works and works. Underrated as a lineout forward.

"His work rate's massive he gets around the field and makes a lot of tackles. I don't think it'll be an issue for him at a high level – he's got the talent, he's got the desire and he's as tough as nails."

Thorne says it wasn't the biggest surprise to lose Dunshea to All Blacks selection.

"The locking stocks, it's a challenging area and we know there's a couple of guys with injury concerns… we always felt our locks were probably at risk, particularly Mitch.

"It's a bit of a blow for us to be honest, because he's a key part of our group."

Mitchell Dunshea. (Photo by Dianne Manson/Getty Images)