In top level rugby, there will always be injuries. It's an unfortunate cost of one of the sporting world's more physical codes, and World Cup years are no exception.
The All Blacks have already lost the services of Chiefs star Damian McKenzie for this year's World Cup in Japan to a knee injury and on Saturday night there were fears they might have lost another player.
Highlanders fullback Ben Smith had to be taken from the pitch late in his side's draw with the Chiefs in Dunedin after slipping into a front-on tackle and going down awkwardly as a result. Speaking to the Radio Sport Breakfast, All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said there was immediate concern when he saw one of the national team's most reliable players go down.
Touching base with All Blacks coach Steven Hansen and selector Grant Fox who were at Saturday's match, Foster was relayed information about the injury quickly and reassured it wasn't as bad as it looked.
"We've got a little bit of a texting network that happens. It depends on who's at the game and who's not – if you're at the game you've got a responsibility to find out a few things," Foster said.