A broken bone in Quinten Strange's right-hand means the Crusaders' lock will have to be patient for an opportunity to fill the void left by All Black Sam Whitelock.
Strange who injured his hand in the opening few minutes of last Friday's 41-7 pre-season win over the Highlanders is expected to be sidelined for up to five weeks.
The 23-year-old was expected to start in the second row alongside new captain Scott Barrett on Saturday night when the reigning champions kickoff the new season against the Waratahs.
The Crusaders take on the Waratahs at 6.05pm this Saturday.
In other Super Rugby matches this weekend, the Blues will take on the Chiefs at 6.05pm Friday, the Brumbies will face the Reds at 8.15pm Friday, the Sharks will play the Bulls at 5.10am Saturday, the Sunwolves will face the Rebels at 3.45pm Saturday, Stormers will play the Hurricanes at 1.05am Sunday while the Jaguares will take on the Lions at 11am Sunday.
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