All Blacks coach Steve Hansen refusing to panic despite Liam Squire joining lengthy New Zealand injury list

Squire joins Kieran Read, Dane Coles and Jerome Kaino on the sidelines, with Israel Dagg and Nehe Milner-Skudder also injured

Liam Squire suffered a broken thumb in the Otago Highlanders' 45-41 victory over the Cheetahs (Getty)

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has moved to ease concerns over the depth of his playing stocks after Liam Squire became the third loose forward to be sidelined by injury before the British and Irish Lions tour next month.

The 26-year-old back row forward broke his thumb in the Otago Highlanders' 45-41 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday.

He joined fellow loose forwards Kieran Read (thumb) and Jerome Kaino (knee) on the injury list with the start of the Lions tour less than a month away and the first of three tests taking place on 24 June.

Hooker Dane Coles is also an injury concern battling concussion symptoms, while outside backs Israel Dagg (knee) and Nehe Milner-Skudder (foot) are also still recovering.

"You always have concerns but at the same time you can't control that," Hansen told Fairfax Media on Saturday.

"All you can do is work away at getting as much information as you can around them and help the players work on their rehab to get better.

"We're sitting in a situation where Reado and JK should both be okay if everything goes right and Coles with his injury now it's got the concussion side to it you've just got to be patient and wait. You can't force that.

"You know you're going to get injuries and we'll get more of them. You have to deal with each situation as it comes along but we don't name the team until 8 June so there's no point panicking."

Squire would have been an almost certainty for the All Blacks squad and likely to have started at blindside flanker or number eight had Read or Kaino not recovered in time.

Hansen, however, said that players with test experience in Elliot Dixon and Steven Luatua were still in contention for loose forward squad spots, as was the uncapped Brad Shields.

"You've got the guys that have been there before like Dixon, Luatua ... Shields is playing well just to name a few. There's a lot of guys putting their hands up.

"As we go a bit further into the competition we'll see what their strengths are like. But we're not panicking."

Kaino has a month to recover if he is to face the Lions with the Blues (Getty)

Both Kaino and Read could face the Lions for their Super Rugby sides - the Auckland Blues and Canterbury Crusaders, respectively. The Blues face the Lions on 7 June, while the Crusaders face the tourists in Christchurch on 10 June.

The All Blacks have also said they are hoping to organise a test match against Samoa on June 16.

Reuters