 Most African nations are lagging behind the standards set by South African rugby.
Valke Head Coach, John Williams said spreading the game to all provinces is essential if African national teams are to catch up to South Africa.
He said: “South African rugby has been able to be successful due to the depth in players that we have.
“This has been possible through the strong structures that SARU has built by spreading the game to all provinces.
“It is therefore important for the rest of Africa to ensure the game is played in all provinces, without spreading the game it is not possible to develop.”
The remarks made by the South African head coach follows concern over Zimbabwe’s failure to spread the game of rugby to remote areas.
This is reflected by the composition of what masquerades as a national league.
To date, the National Rugby League is dominated by teams based in Harare and Bulawayo, with Gweru and Mutare chipping in with one team each.
The game is concentrated in the major cities and Zimbabwe’s failures clearly point to the absence of a developmental model which seeks to widen the country’s talent base by bringing rugby to the people.
Player retention has been another cause for concern with the country losing several players to South Africa and Australia.
Tendai Mtawarira, Tonderai Chavhanga and Brian Mujati are some players that Zimbabwe has lost to other countries.
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