Jerome Kaino to undergo surgery and is in doubt for Lions tour

Jerome Kaino will have a minor operation on a meniscus tear in his knee on Friday. The All Blacks loose forward suffered the blow against the Hurricanes.

He is expected to be out for anywhere between four to six weeks, there is a possibility that he will still have enough time for to recover for the first test against the Lions at Eden Park on June 24.

Kaino is however expected to miss the Blues match against the Lions on June 7, but depending on his recovery, he could return for the All Blacks' yet-to-be-confirmed warm-up test against Samoa in Auckland, one week before the first Lions test.

Blues assistant coach Steve Jackson said Kaino could have played on but, given the circumstances, surgery was deemed best.

"I'm sure he'll be fine for the Lions tour," Jackson said.

"He'll get his feet up and normally you come back quick from those sorts of operations. It's about what is in the best interests of the player and he's got a lot of big things coming up towards June so now was the time to get it done."

Kaino is a two-time World Cup winner and has made 65 appearances for the All Blacks.