Either that, or the season’s schedule needs to be changed, and quickly, to ease the burden on the country who have won the past two Rugby World Cups but are now claiming they are being stretched too far by the calendar as it is.
Fans of Harlequins, Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints were no doubt happy to bag the points in the second round of the pool stage, with only four rounds overall before the qualifiers for the last 16 are decided next month.
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Read MoreBut there was a significant South African presence in the Stoop stands, as ex-pats had turned up in strong numbers, and surely they were aghast at the pathetic efforts of the franchise based on the proud Western Province.
“As a second-row forward, you probably don’t want to be kicking the ball back to Marcus Smith,” the watching former Quins captain Chris Robshaw observed, drily.
The positive initial argument of South Africa’s teams being more comfortable and natural in Europe due to the similar time zones and reduced travelling time has rapidly faded to a state of derision or concern on all sides.
Sharks boss John Plumtree has spoken angrily about the schedule (Photo: PA)
“I want to bring our strongest Sharks side here and play on the biggest stage,” said Plumtree. “I want to go out there and give Leicester a good hiding in front of their home crowd.
Sharks left out Springboks stars Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Lukhanyo Am and Makazole Mapimpi, on the injury list after the previous week’s narrow home victory against Exeter, while Siya Kolisi, Ox Nché and Andre Esterhuizen were rested.
Plumtree said “the organisers need to have a look at it”, for sending his team to and from England in a few days. “We arrive on Wednesday and play on Saturday. It’s hardly high performance.”
And White told The i Paper this month the same could easily happen again this season, with the last 16 and quarter-final matches back to back in April.
In the URC they have addressed the problem by giving the South African teams a run of home-based games in the next few weeks, and away matches are bracketed together so they aren’t on and off planes like full-time baggage handlers.
I want every Springbok to play for South African teams - we'd clean up in Europe
Read MoreThe bigger picture is of so many competitions and competing interests shoe-horned into a season that stretches to next August with the British & Irish Lions tour.
Anyone who says that teams in every country are resting and rotating does have a point – which is they simply must do, in order to show some fairness to the players in the madly intense schedule.
The Leicester boss Michael Cheika shrugged off Plumtree’s moans, saying “there is no solution required”, but that felt more like an argument that it’s the same for everybody, so get on with it – which is a different argument.
Something has got to give, otherwise rugby’s latest experiment at feeding its fanbase will snap apart.
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