British and Irish Lions

The flanker featured prominently in the All Blacks' triumphant Tri Nations campaign and will not be released for provincial duty with Canterbury until October.

Other New Zealand squad members will be given staggered returns to domestic action, directly related to their workload over the 2006 international season.

Long-term injury victims Leon MacDonald, Chris Masoe and Reuben Thorne will wait to learn if they will play again this season.

However, Canterbury and Crusaders prop Greg Somerville will be out with a torn Achilles until at least March.

The All Blacks fly back to New Zealand on Sunday after their two-week tour of South Africa ended in defeat.

Radike Samo, one of only two players still playing top level rugby in Australia who placed against the 2001 British & Irish Lions, will return to top flight action with Queensland Reds against the Stormers in Cape Town on Sunday.

British & Irish Lions hookers Dylan Hartley and Tom Youngs will fight out their own private duel in the Aviva Premiership final at Twickenham on Saturday and then become team mates for the next six weeks a day later.

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.