All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu is to undergo surgery for a chest muscle injury, ruling him out of the rest of the Tri Nations series.

Hooker suffered a ruptured pectoral tendon during last Saturday's Tri-Nations Test against South Africa in Durban, won 31-19 by the Springboks.

"It's incredibly disappointing for Keven but he is in a positive frame of mind and will undergo surgery on Friday," All Blacks doctor Deb Robinson said.

Mealamu will be out of action for four months, missing not only the remainder of the Tri-Nations series but also New Zealand's end-of-year tour to Japan, Britain and Europe.

New Zealand's next Tri-Nations Test is against Australia at Sydney on August 22.

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