New Zealand Test centre Steve Matai will fly to Sydney on Wednesday for a second opinion on his injured shoulder with his odds of paying Saturday's World Cup semi-final against England blowing out dramatically.

Manly club doctor Paul Bloomfield, who has been in close contact with the New Zealand's medical staff, has referred Matai to a Sydney specialist.

The 24 year-old was carried from the field and taken to hospital at the weekend with his neck encased in a protective spinal brace after complaining of shooting pains down his arm.

The game against England was stopped for seven minutes due to fears he may have suffered a spinal injury.

But MRI scans in Brisbane on Monday failed to reveal anything untoward.

However, the decision to send him back to Sydney to see another specialist suggests his World Cup campaign may be over, even if the Kiwis win through to the final.

Manly football manager Steve Gigg said the New Zealand doctor had been extremely co-operative.

"It's been well documented Steve has carried neck and shoulder injuries for quite some time now and he's battled through them," Gigg told AAP.

"Our club has been speaking to the New Zealand team doctor on a fairly regular basis and they've agreed to bring him back to Sydney to be checked out by a specialist our club doctor knows well."

New Zealand have a psychological edge heading into Saturday night's semi-final after coming from 24-8 down to beat England 36-24 last weekend.

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