Sharks head coach John Plumtree said the travel involved when playing in European competitions was not fair for South Africans teams.
The Sharks created history last Friday when they beat Gloucester in the final of the EPCR Challenge Cup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London to become the first team from South African to win a European competition.
The win means the Sharks, who have struggled during their United Rugby Championship campaign, will be playing with the big boys in the EPCR Champions Cup next season.
After the final, New Zealander Plumtree called on the competition’s organisers to level the playing field and make things easier for South African teams when it comes to travel.
“This is not an easy competition for the South African teams,” said Plumtree after the game. “There is a lot of travelling.
“We are in it, and we are competing well, but a few things need to be ironed out in terms of levelling it up a little bit.
“This is our fourth trip up here [to Europe] this year and I think we have been away from home for about three months, so that is not a level playing field.
“They need to look at how they can make this competition better.
“For me, it’s better than Super Rugby and I’ve been involved in that for a long time.
“However, there is a lot of logistical stuff that needs to be sorted out. Hopefully, it will be done in the next year or two.”
Plumtree’s comments come weeks after Bulls’ boss Jake White criticised the planning around their trip to Europe, saying the team had to be split up and had to travel in eight separate planes.
IOL Sport