Flying Fijians outside centre Sireli Naqelevuki will almost certainly miss the Stormers opening Super 14 clash with the Sharks, after sustaining a rib injury in the warmup fixture against Boland at the weekend.

Naqelevuki was one of several first choice players who came onto the field after halftime, as they galvanized what had been a labored Stormers effort into a 55-14 win in Wellington, but although he was impressive in his short stint, it was a costly one as he was helped off the field looking like he was in pain.

It was confirmed by the Stormers' management on Sunday that an MRI scan had shown up a knock to the cartilage in the rib cage, and this is expected to keep him out for "two to four weeks".

Fortunately for Naqelevuki and the Stormers, there was no fracture, so there is still an outside chance he may be ready for the Sharks game and Coach Rassie Erasmus is likely to give him a chance to prove his fitness if at all possible.