The Sharks loose forward Willem Alberts will miss the start of the Super Rugby season after his franchise revealed that the Springbok will undergo surgery on a shoulder injury.
Alberts will be out for at least four weeks after what the Sharks described as a "small procedure" on an ongoing problem that has already kept him out of two pre-season friendlies.
Alberts is one of five Sharks regulars who will miss this weekend's opening match away at the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein through injury.
The 27-year-old has played in the last nine internationals for South Africa and has 20 test caps in total.
