If only the Highlanders knew what was wrong with flanker Shane Christie.

The loose forward is battling a mystery illness, which has left the franchise's medical team and coach Tony Brown puzzled ahead of their season opener against the Chiefs in Dunedin.

Christie, who co-captained the team with fullback Ben Smith last year, wasn't sighted during the pre-season and won't feature under the roof on Friday night.

KAI SCHWOERER/GETTY IMAGES Highlanders head coach Tony Brown is missing 10 players through injury.

"No, still not sure. It's a bit frustrating for him," Brown said when asked if the team had got to the bottom of Christie's absence.

READ MORE

* Super Rugby: Need to know

* Main men face Lions factor

* Super Rugby: Our picks

* Highlanders hoodoo 'history'

"We just have to wait and see on that one. We've got a few specialists that are checking him out. It could be anything. We'll have to wait until we get a bit more clarity about what's happened there."

ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT Highlanders winger Tevita Li, right, will start on the left-wing against the Chiefs on Friday night.

Asked for more detail and whether it was a case of Christie not feeling well, Brown said he did not know.

Christie, who has missed his fair share of games through injury since joining the team in 2014, is one of 10 Highlanders unavailable for the first game due to injury.

Fellow loose forwards Dan Pryor (knee) and Luke Whitelock (shoulder) are also in the casualty ward, leaving James Lentjes and Gareth Evans to start on the flanks against the Chiefs.

CLAY CROSS/PHOTOSPORT Malakai Fekitoa will play his 50th game for the Highlanders on Friday night.

All Black Liam Squire will start at No 8, while Elliot Dixon - the only Highlanders' All Black not starting - will provide cover off the bench.

"We just found that our All Blacks are just a little bit underdone," Brown said regarding his decision not to start Dixon.

"Gareth has had a great pre-season, he's really fit and ready to go and he deserves the opportunity."

Pivots Marty Banks and Hayden Parker, midfielder Tei Walden, hooker Ash Dixon, front rowers Aki Seiuli and Greg Pleasants-Tate, and winger Patrick Osborne are the other injured players.

Not including Parker's season-ending knee injury, Dixon's back injury is the most serious, with Brown confirming he probably won't be available for another six to eight weeks.

Osborne (back strain) is expected to play for the Highlanders development XV against the Crusaders Knights on Saturday, while the rest of the players are expected to be out for between one and five weeks with various niggles.

Osborne will have to watch former Blues winger Tevita Li start in the No 11 jersey, the position he's shone in the past couple of years.

Li is one of five players Brown has named to play the Chiefs who haven't been capped by the franchise before.

With talent to burn in the backs, Brown said he expected a fierce battle between Li and Osborne for the starting spot opposite All Black winger Waisake Naholo this year.

"Tevita [Li] had a great pre-season and has put in the work," Brown said.

"With the All Blacks being a little bit underdone, I think he's going to be crucial for us on Friday . . . We want to let him out there first game and see what he's got."

Former Chiefs prop Siate Tokolahi, halfback Kayne Hammington and front rowers Guy Millar and Adrian Smith are the other uncapped Highlanders named in Brown's 23-strong squad.

Midfielder Malakai Fekitoa will play his 50th game for the team, while Brown has opted not to pick utility back Richard Buckman and lock Joe Wheeler, who recently completed seasons in Japan.

"We'll integrate them in the next two to three weeks. When they first came in they were a little bit fatigued mentally so we punished them [at training] for a while.

"Took the ball off them so now they're wanting to get back in and play with the boys. Hopefully we can get some benefit out of giving them a couple of weeks' rest."

Brown, who will leave the franchise to help former Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph coach Japan at the end of the season, is expecting the Chiefs to throw everything at them.

In a rare streak of dominance in the ultra-competitive New Zealand conference, the Highlanders have won the past six matches between the sides.

Brown called the streak "one of those things that's always hard to explain", and said his team would have to be on the money defensively come kickoff.

"They're going to come down here with a lot of physicality like they always do," he said.

"They're going to be really competitive, they're going to throw the ball around from everywhere. They have players like [Damian] McKenzie and [Aaron] Cruden who will have their full back of tricks on show.

"It's going to be good to watch."

Meanwhile, former All Blacks and Highlanders lock Tom Donnelly has been appointed the new assistant coach of the Otago Mitre 10 Cup team.

Donnelly (35) has been appointed for the 2017 season and replaces Ben Herring, who has moved to Japan.

AT A GLANCE

Highlanders v Chiefs

Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin

Friday, 7.35pm

Highlanders: Ben Smith (c), Waisake Naholo, Malakai Fekitoa, Rob Thompson, Tevita Li, Lima Sopoaga, Aaron Smith, Liam Squire, James Lentjes, Gareth Evans, Tom Franklin, Alex Ainley, Siate Tokolahi, Liam Coltman, Daniel Lienert-Brown.

Reserves: Adrian Smith, Craig Millar, Guy Millar, Jackson Hemopo, Elliot Dixon, Kayne Hammington, Fletcher Smith, Matt Faddes.

﻿

Chiefs: Damian McKenzie, Toni Pulu, Anton Lienert-Brown, Johnny Faauli, James Lowe, Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Liam Messam, Mitchell Karpik, Taleni Seu, Brodie Retallick, Dominic Bird, Nepo Laulala, Hika Elliot, Kane Hames.

Reserves: Samisoni Taukei'aho, Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, Atu Moli, Mitchell Brown, Lachlan Boshier, Jonathan Taumateine, Tim Nanai-Williams, Shaun Stevenson.