Highlanders and All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith will sit out the first of two required games this weekend.

It's not that Highlanders head coach Aaron Mauger wants to rest halfback Aaron Smith, it's a case of having to.

As per the agreement between New Zealand Rugby and the five Kiwi Super Rugby sides, it will be the first of two matches he's required to sit out before the three-match test series against France next month, and means Kayne Hammington will make his second start of the season.

While injuries have ensured hooker Liam Coltman and flanker Liam Squire have done their time, wing Waisake Naholo (one match) is the team's only other representative head coach Aaron Mauger has rested. He has three more games after this week to fulfil the agreement.

Mauger has also given flanker Dillon Hunt the week off. He's started each of the team's first nine games, and has attended two South Island camps for All Blacks the past couple of months.

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As a result, openside flanker James Lentjes slots into the starting side for the first time this season. He'll start alongside fellow loose forwards Elliot Dixon and Luke Whitelock as the Highlanders attempt to bounce back from their 38-12 defeat to the Sharks in Durban last weekend.

"Dillon Hunt has had a massive workload, he was outstanding on the tour to South Africa, so an opportunity for him to take a breather," Mauger said.

"The other changes are more around freshening up. We had a pretty good time on the road, but the travel can take it out of you. We're going to need lots of energy this week."

He's talking about spelling players such as lock Jackson Hemopo, who has been replaced by Josh Dickson, and replacing loose forward Shannon Frizell with Marino Mikaele-Tu'u.

Co-captain and fullback Ben Smith, and No 8 Luke Whitelock, will both start their 10th consecutive game this season.

As for the decision to leave first-five Fletcher Smith out of his squad in favour of rookie Josh Ioane, the latter earned another crack after impressing late in last week's loss, Mauger said.

A few days after the team signed Blues first-five Bryn Gatland for the next two seasons, being left out for a second consecutive week doesn't bode well for Smith, who is off-contract at the end of the year.

Gatland joins Ioane on the books for the 2019 season, and chief executive Roger Clark has indicated the team is looking for an experienced first-five to help bring them along.

Originally from Christchurch, Smith has already left Otago for Waikato in the Mitre 10 Cup, a decision he last month told Stuff came down to him craving change.

"I've been in Dunedin for about five years now, so just a little bit of a change. I've just been a little bit too comfortable down here. So just going up there [Hamilton], meeting new people in a new city, it's just something I need at the moment," he said.

The Lions, who are top of the South African conference with six wins and five losses, will go into the match without star Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx, who injured his hamstring against the Hurricanes last weekend and is expected to miss about six weeks.

AT A GLANCE

Highlanders v Lions

Saturday, 7.35pm, Dunedin

Referee: Angus Gardner

TAB odds: Highlanders $1.32, Lions $3.35

Highlanders: Ben Smith (co-captain), Waisake Naholo, Rob Thompson, Tei Walden, Tevita Nabura, Lima Sopoaga, Kayne Hammington, Luke Whitelock, James Lentjes, Elliot Dixon, Tom Franklin, Alex Ainley, Tyrel Lomax, Liam Coltman, Daniel Lienert-Brown. Reserves: Ash Dixon (cc), Aki Seiuli, Kalolo Tuiloma, Josh Dickson, Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, Josh Renton, Josh Ioane, Sio Tomkinson

Lions: TBC