New Zealand centre Steve Matai has been cleared of a serious neck injury and could play in Saturday's World Cup rugby league semi-final in Brisbane.

Kiwis medical staff feared a potential spinal fracture after Matai's head collided with teammate Greg Eastwood in a tackle during their 36-24 win over England in their final pool match in Newcastle on Saturday night.

The 24-year-old reported a searing pain down his right arm and was taken to hospital where he underwent x-rays and CT scans, which both cleared him of serious injury.

Matai was discharged Sunday and rushed to Newcastle airport to join his teammates on their flight to Brisbane, where he will undergo an MRI scan to check for any disc damage.

If the MRI is clear and Matai suffers no further symptoms during the week he may be considered for selection for the semi-final.

"They were satisfied there was no instability and no fracture, and he was discharged on the condition we get an MRI scan in Brisbane," Kiwis doctor Simon Mayhew told NZPA.

"He's still pretty sore and the MRI scan will have to be normal and he'll have to be symptom-free to play (next Saturday), but he's a happy boy, very pleased with the news."

It was NRL grand final-winner Matai's first game back from a one-match ban for a high tackle on Australia's Paul Gallen in their tournament opener.

Matai's injury silenced the crowd of 15,145 at EnergyAustralia Stadium as play was held up for several minutes to place him in a neck brace and strap him onto a stretcher.

Mayhew said Matai, who has defied a painful shoulder injury for most of the year, wanted to play on but the searing pain in the arm and localised pain in his neck sounded the alarm bells.

"Steve was gutted, he thought he was letting his mates down. I said `no you're not'," said Mayhew.

"He resisted but then he understood why we were doing it. His neck was a bit sore and he had a funny arm. We recognised it straight away, this is potentially a nasty, career-ending situation.

"Hopefully I overcalled it and he's fine and has a bit of a sore neck for a couple of days and he's ready to play.

"It's foolish to start moving people in that situation, then you're left with a quadriplegic."

The Kiwis head to Brisbane without any other serious injuries and buoyed by their come-from-behind win over likely semi-final opponents England.

Winger Manu Vatuvei bagged four tries on Saturday night - equalling the World Cup record - and looms as a major danger man next week.

The 112kg giant, known as "The Beast", has enjoyed a brilliant 2008 with 22 tries from 21 matches for the Warriors, All Golds and Kiwis and is confident he can keep his strong form going for the rest of the tournament.

"Nah, I've never done that before ... maybe just playing in the backyard with my friends," Vatuvei said.

"Scoring four tries in a Test is a big honour for me and I'll never forget this moment.

"For sure. I want to take it on for next week. I can't have a good game tonight and not show up next week.

"It's really exciting for the guys and it builds a bit of confidence. We're just trying to take it on for next week and do the same thing."

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