Ten of the Highlanders squad are not available for the pre-season match against the Chiefs in Queenstown on Saturday as injuries continue to mount.
The already lengthy list was compounded in the pre-season game against the Crusaders in Greymouth last weekend when centre Kendrick Lynn fractured a bone in his neck and wing Kade Poki damaged a medial ligament in his knee.
Lynn will be sidelined for an indefinite period, at least two months, while Poki's injury is still being assessed. He will be out for at least two weeks.
The Highlanders have been hit particularly hard in the midfield backs and the tight five.
Lynn, Shaun Treeby (knee injury) Siale Piutau (who is recovering from an ankle operation) and Tamati Ellison (still in Japan) are all not available.
Ellison and England loose forward recruit James Haskell are still committed to their Japanese club, the Ricoh Black Rams, and will not arrive in Dunedin until the week before the Super 15 opener.
It is not any better in the tight five where the experience trio of Jarrad Hoeata, Josh Bekhuis and captain Jamie Mackintosh are all recovering from injury.
Hoeata will be sidelined for another two months with a chest injury while it is unclear when Mackintosh (pelvis) and Bekhuis (hip) will be fit to return.
The other player on the injured list is first-choice first five-eighth Colin Slade, who is recovering from a hernia operation and who is touch and to be fit for the competition opener against the Chiefs in Hamilton on February 25.
Coach Jamie Joseph is still considering whether to call in replacement players as he monitors his casualty list.
Joseph said there was obvious disappointment at the injury list but the Highlanders had to cope as best they could.
"It's not good and there are some key players who can't play at the moment. Some are not far away, the likes of Shaun Treeby, but they are not ready yet either. We have cover in our squad but not to the extent that we have four extra midfield backs."
The Highlanders lost 19-47 to the Crusaders after trailing 0-35 at halftime. Joseph changed most of the team at halftime and it played better in the second spell.
Joseph will have to call on players from the wider training squad for the match in Queenstown and he will have his fingers crossed the injury toll does not rise any further.