Brodie Retallick has confirmed he will not travel on the Argentinian leg of the Chiefs upcoming Super Rugby road trip.
The Chiefs captain will run out with the side in round six when they meet the Bulls in Pretoria, but will observe one of his All Blacks stand down weeks when the side take on the Jaguares in Buenos Aries in round seven. While the side heads to Argentina, Retallick will head back to New Zealand.
"I think it may be one more game than what (the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby) agreed on but I think (the Chiefs) went back and said that I'd be missing a long distance flight and another week on the road so everyone was in agreement there," Retallick explained.
"Personally I preferred to do it that way rather than try take round three off when you're trying to get back into the game and find your fitness and some momentum.
"The other bonus of not going to Argentina is that it backs onto a Chiefs bye week so it's kind of an extended break in itself."
As part of NZ Rugby's agreement with Super Rugby franchises to manage All Black minutes before the World Cup, players were not meant to feature for more than five games in a row.
However before the side heads on the road, Retallick will lead the Chiefs out onto the turf at Hamilton's FMG Stadium to take on the Hurricanes on Friday, which will be his sixth game in succession.
After a horror start to the season, the Chiefs have their eyes set on the opportunity to get their campaign off the mark.
Through the opening four rounds, the Chiefs have gone 0-4 with losses to the Highlanders, Brumbies, Sunwolves and Crusaders. Through that span, defensive lapses and an inability to take care of possession have plagued the side who are conceding an average of 43 points per game.
"It's been a tough few weeks; no one wants to start the competition 0-4," Retallick said.
"It's been a steep learning curve. There's been talk about that - we didn't hold the ball, haven't built enough pressure and from there we're leaking a lot of tries and a lot of points.
"Last week we turned up with a better intensity, especially on the get-go. We've just got to keep the self-belief high and keep believing in what we're doing until we get it right for 80 minutes."
Chiefs: Damian McKenzie, Sean Wainui, Tumua Manu, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ataata Moeakiola, Marty McKenzie, Brad Weber, Tyler Ardron, Mitchell Karpik, Mitchell Brown, Michael Allardice, Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Nathan Harris, Aidan Ross. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ryan Coxon, Angus Ta'avao, Taleni Seu, Luke Jacobson, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Alex Nankivell, Etene Nanai-Seturo.
Hurricanes: Chase Tiatia, Jordie Barrett, Matt Proctor, Ngani Laumape, Wes Goosen, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Ardie savea, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Reed Prinsep, Vaea Fifita, James Blackwell, Ben May, Dance Coles, Toby Smith. Reserves: Asafo Aumua, Fraser Armstrong, Alex Fidow, Liam Mitchell, Heiden Bedwell-Curtis, Finlay Christie, Jackson Garden-Bachop, Salesi Rayasi