Stephen Nell

Cape Town - The structure of the Super Rugby tournament is "ridiculous", advantageous to Australian teams and disadvantageous to South African sides.

That is the view of the Kings' Springbok flank Luke Watson, who revealed on Tuesday that some of his former team-mates in Bath had spoken to him about the possibility of also playing Super Rugby.

"Some players have already spoken to me about the possibility of coming. I think everybody loves Super Rugby. You get people in England who claim to hate it and criticise it, but it's only because they are in denial," said Watson.

"You also get others that openly say it's where they want to be.

"I do think that most people will agree that the structure is ridiculous. Some teams don't get the opportunity to play against the weaker sides and therefore lose out on 5 or 10 log points."

Watson believes South African teams are at a disadvantage with the tough nature of their derbies, while Australian sides have it easier in that regard.

"South Africa have the most physical teams, while Australia's teams could easily pick up points against the Melbourne Rebels and Western Force. I think they should re-look at the structure of Super Rugby. There is maybe too much rugby and it's played at pace with high impact," he said.

"You can see in the attendance figures that too much rugby is being played. It has also lost prestige because you play teams (from your country) more than once and there is no longer that feeling of 'I'm going to get you' (between local sides)."

Watson, however, praised the immense depth of South Africa's talent pool and believes no side in the world should touch the Springboks if they pick the correct team.

"Dan Carter and Richie McCaw leave major voids at the All Blacks if they are injured. South Africa coul easily replace the majority of their players. We're in a very strong position if we pick the right team and it's managed correctly," he said.

He believes South Africa should still look to expand their depth and options ahead of this year's World Cup.

"It's actually ridiculous that a guy like Duane Vermeulen is yet to be given an opportunity. He has probably been the most consistent loose forward in South Africa for the past two or three seasons," said Watson.

"Yes, we have good loose forwards, but surely he could play a Test or two.

"I’d also like to see how Patrick Lambie goes at flyhalf in two or three Tests, while Peter Grant also deserves an opportunity."