Jake White is worried about the impact the Springboks’ match with Wales could have on the sport with both sides missing so many players.
The game takes place outside the international window which means that neither country has access to their foreign-based members of the squad.
A number of the Welsh squad play in the English PREM while Adam Beard is currently at French side Montpellier.
It is a similar situation for the Boks, who have players scattered around the world, although they do have access to some of their Japan-based individuals.
Understrength sides
Two understrength teams are therefore set to clash in, as White describes, what is meant to be the “pinnacle” of the sport.
However, unlike Wales, South Africa have the strength in depth and the 2007 Rugby World Cup winner worries if the hosts will be able to cope.
If not then it could well be a bad look for the sport and for World Rugby, who will see their product undermined.
“I see Rassie [Erasmus] is only picking from 24 or 25 players. I remember before he got the job, that was the norm and coaches were expected to make do on smaller squads,” White wrote in his RugbyPass column.
“I feel sorry for Wales, with 13 players going back to England and France but where does that leave us? I’ll say this, Test rugby is very important.
“It is the pinnacle of our game. Call me a traditionalist, but a Test where your best players aren’t available, or it’s played outside the designated window is not the way it should be done.
“Sure, it’s economically driven and needs must, but we must be careful we are not watering down Test matches. If Wales get drilled on Saturday and that goes down in the history books, it’s not a great look. These are two proud rugby nations, who, remember, duked it out in the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
“The window is there for a reason. I know they’ve said the fixture was planned with the old regime, but proper planning needs to be in place. Now I’m not for one second saying ‘overseas’ players should be picked – I’m not changing my view on that, but if you play outside the window, you have to deal with the consequences.”
International ‘overkill’
White also suggests that this match could be “overkill” and actually takes away what makes an international game special.
“There’s a lot of Test rugby being played these days. The Wallabies looked exhausted and Rassie has needed a bloated squad just to get through 15 Tests in five months,” he added.
“Our Test scene has so many great values, but it’s called a test for a reason – you’re playing against the best of the best. The day it feels like you’re going through the motions, or it’s just a day job, will be a sad day for the game.
“I’m sure they get a decent crowd in Wales because they love their rugby, but you don’t want overkill. If it were a full strength both sides, it would be a sell-out.”