Highlanders flanker Adam Thomson said it was frustrating to play every Super 14 game and then break a bone in his hand in the early stages of Saturday's test.
Thomson said within the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game at Carisbrook his right hand got jammed in a tackle and he heard a crack.
Initially, he thought he had dislocated his finger and it had gone back in, but as the game continued he could not grip anything.
It became more evident as the game went on some serious damage had been done to his hand, he said.
He was eventually replaced in the 60th minute by Tanerau Latimer, who made his debut for the All Blacks.
Thomson had the hand put in a cast on Saturday night at Dunedin Hospital straight after the match, and had been advised it would be about six weeks until he could play again.
The hand would be in a cast for a few days and would then be put in a splint, which would aid a speedy recovery.
He had left the All Black camp, but should be able to stay fit and had been told by the selectors he would rejoin the camp once his hand healed.
The selectors had told him to stay positive and just let the injury heal.
