Cape Town – The latest tweet from John Smit on social networking site, Twitter, suggests the Sharks captain thankfully hasn’t suffered serious damage to his neck as was initially feared.

Thankfully no spinal damage,just some soft tissue issues so hoping it will settle for Saturday.Anti inflams for breakie,lunch & supper!!!, Smit said.

There was a suggestion Smit had an issue with the way referee Jonathan Kaplan handled the scrums in the game between the Bulls and Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday and he went for a precautionary scan post-match.

The news will be welcomed in Durban, given that they lost Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis to a serious neck injury in the build-up to the crunch game against the Bulls.

Du Plessis underwent surgery on a damaged vertebra in his neck on Thursday morning and Sharks head coach John Plumtree said on Saturday that early speculation that the combative hooker would be out for only six weeks was way too optimistic.

“The injury is far more serious than that and he is not expected to play for at least three months.”  

The Sharks, out of the running for the Super 14 playoffs, play the Stormers on Saturday in Durban, followed by the Western Force in their final clash at the ABSA Stadium on Friday, May 14.

Meanwhile, in more bad news for the Sharks, lock Johann Muller appears to have played his last game for the Sharks after fracturing the same arm that sidelined him for a lengthy period last year.

Muller has signed a contract to join Ulster after the completion of the Super 14.