Bulls head coach Nollis Marais believes that the South African Super Rugby teams are not as fit as their New Zealand counterparts.
Marais' comments are in response to those made by Crusaders coach Scott Robertson in the aftermath of his side's 62-24 demolition of the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
The Crusaders have scored 167 points in three matches against South African sides on their tour of the country showing how wide the gulf in class is between the two nations' franchises.
Robertson said: “For me, clearly, the South African teams need to be fitter. Super Rugby is a fast game, it’s a tempo game. It’s a game with a high skill level and you make errors when you’re fatigued.
“And I think it showed (against the Bulls), we got momentum and played with speed… they struggled to stay with us. That’s clear, that picture’s clear for everyone to see."
And Marais has echoed Robertson's comments, saying that he does not think at present that the South African franchises can keep up the same tempo as their Kiwi counterparts.
“I think we are not up to the level of New Zealand teams with fitness and intensity and you can see that in all the matches,” Marais told Sport24 in Pretoria on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to talk about other provinces but you can see it in all the matches, they just have a different reaction speed and breakdown intensity.
"That is something we’re experiencing for the first time this year, last year we only played Australian teams and we have fallen behind there. That is the area where we have to adapt, the whole of South Africa has to adapt and that will be a challenge for us.”
The Bulls face another New Zealand side this coming Saturday in the form of the Highlanders at Loftus.
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