Former Ulster prop Steven Kitshoff’s career is in jeopardy after undergoing surgery for a neck injury sustained on Currie Cup duty earlier this year.
The two-time World Cup winner sustained the serious neck injury playing for Western Province against the Griquas and underwent an infusion of his C1 and C2 vertebrae.
There was doubt that Kitshoff would ever take to the field again after the injury, however this update provides hope that he will someday return to competitive action.
The 32-year-old, who joined Ulster last summer but only played 14 games before returning to the Stormers with over two years to run on his contract, is one of the most renowned loosehead props in world rugby.
And he provided a positive update on social media after the surgery, insisting that he will be back, although that declaration seems premature given the seriousness of the injury.
Per respected rugby commentator Mark Robson, on X, the surgery took around six-and-a-half hours and saw part of his hip bone taken in order to fuse his vertebrae.
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“We haven’t spoken to the specialist or gotten any feedback from his doctors,” Stormers assistant coach Dawie Snyman admitted.
“I actually went to him just as he came out of surgery, just spent a bit of time with him. No update in terms of his situation. The first thing is that we want him to recover, and we’ll take it from there.”