Sharks director of rugby Jake White says Sanzar's proposed 18-team Super Rugby system is flawed.

White picked holes in the structure that will comprise four conferences – two from South Africa (with an Argentinian side in the one and a TBC side in the other) and one from each of Australia and New Zealand.

'I'm not a fan of that system,' he told stuff.co.nz. 'I just sense there are so many things that could go right or wrong in the make-up of that group.

'You could end up, in two years, getting the toughest draw and I don't believe this competition should be determined by how your draw looks. It should be because you have got a good side. To be fair, with the flaws that are in this system now, you could end up winning this competition because of the draw.'

White said he understood what Sanzar were trying to do by expanding the competition and growing its audience in Argentina and possibly Asia or Europe, but he would prefer to see a pure competition.

'My feeling in this case is that less would have been more. Maybe I'm a bit old school but I remember a time when you played everybody and you tested yourself against the best.'

How new Super Rugby format will work

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images