All Blacks skipper Anton Oliver has set his sights on New Zealand's tour to England and France at the end of the year to return from injury.

Oliver ruptured his Achilles tendon on Saturday night in the Highlanders' win over the Reds, and underwent a two-hour operation to repair the damage, but says he won't return that soon if he isn't fully fit.

"I'm mindful of not being a bit of a he-man and trying to come back too early," he said. "I'll play again when I feel I'm right. I don't want to put a date on it. I have my own goals and I'll keep those private.

"I just want to get it right and, when I do play, I don't want to be overweight and playing poorly. I want to be strong, fit, fast and straight into a reasonable level of footy."

Oliver added that the surgery had been successful, leaving him to now begin "the healing process."

"I've been told the first two weeks is really important -- just staying off it and trying to avoid infection."

Oliver will wear a cast on his leg, followed by a brace, as he recovers from the injury, and has been told his return could take him between four and six months: "My leg will be a bit like a little toothpick for a while."

While disappointed to have to cancel a meeting he had scheduled for this week with All Blacks coach John Mitchell, Oliver says he will be doing anything he can to help the team return to the top.

"I had a meeting lined up with John this week to discuss All Black planning," Oliver said. "I won't be part of that journey now, which is really disappointing, but my heart and soul will be with all the boys in the black jersey.

"I'll just be like every New Zealander now and supporting them as much as I can."

Oliver says he is now at a point in his career where he is intelligent enough to realise that playing at your best early in the season is of no real benefit, and that he was just starting to hit his straps.

"I've learnt when to peak and when not to. From the Brumbies game onwards, I was making a conscious effort to prepare a lot harder and all the little pieces in the puzzle were starting to come together. I felt pretty good in that first half on Saturday," he said.

Oliver's injury occurred when he received a pass from Byron Kelleher, and while he says he felt his foot "blow out" when an opponent leant on him after twice propping off his right foot, was nonetheless pleased that the passage of play resulted in a try.

"I managed to get the ball back and we scored a try - I was quite chuffed about that," he said. "I tried to walk and felt a bit un-co, then I tried to jog and the foot was flopping all over the place."

And Oliver says he is confident the Highlanders can upset the highly-fancied Crusaders in Saturday night's semi-final: "There's no doubt in my mind. The most important thing is that the 22 guys in the Otago shirts think the same," he said.