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Johannesburg - Springbok coach Peter de Villiers fears the expanded Vodacom Super Rugby competition could leave his players suffering from exhaustion at this year's Rugby World Cup.
The new 15-team Super Rugby competition starts on February 18 and ends on July 9, with leading Springboks potentially playing 19 matches across three different time zones.
The World Cup starts in New Zealand on September 9, after an abbreviated Tri-Nations tournament from July 23 to August 27.
"There is a concern that the players could physically be totally exhausted after the Super Rugby competition," De Villiers told a news conference in Johannesburg. "The competition is going to be more intense and therefore more exhausting."
Increasing the intensity is the competition's new focus on local derbies.
The 15 teams have been divided into three country-based conferences - South Africa, New Zealand and Australia - and will play each of their countrymen home and away. That means the leading Springboks could play eight local derbies, traditionally the hardest-fought matches in Super Rugby in South Africa.
De Villers said: "The fact they will play home and away against each of the other South African teams means the intensity will be even higher. But the man in the street in South Africa doesn't worry about competing against the rest of the world, if his team is the best here then he's happy."
De Villiers, whose position was under threat last year after South Africa won just one of their six Tri-Nations matches, said he would choose the best players for the World Cup and tailor the game plan to suit them.
"The personnel will determine the game plan, and the first XV has proven that they are the best to go to the World Cup. You can't go to war and mount a cannon on a canoe," De Villiers said.
"We had a great meeting with the Super Rugby coaches and we all know we have to manage the players. But this new competition is also an excellent opportunity for the players to prepare continually for the World Cup.
"We are all on the same page when it comes to the number of minutes' playing time that is ideal, but it's a relative thing, and it will be done player-by-player.
"We trust the integrity of the franchises, but we know the pressure on them is great. Some of them are struggling to get sponsors. But our medical team will check the players and determine when they should be pulled out."
