Stormers prop Neethling Fouche believes South African teams must learn to be patient in their pursuit of European happiness.
South Africa have not been enjoying the best of starts to their United Rugby Championship journey, with the Lions being the only team to bag a win in eight games.
Fouche’s Stormers twice held the lead in their matches against Benetton and Munster respectively, before losing both.
And the 28-year-old knows local teams have some adjustments to make if they want to succeed in Europe.
He says: “For us [the Stormers] the issue has been discipline. The sides over here are very disciplined, they don’t rush it.
“In that first game we played against Benetton they went through 20-plus phases they are patient, have to be patient. For us that’s a learning curve.
“They’re a bit more polished – we can get there.
“We, as South Africans, want to be competitive every game, there were better signs for us last week. There were times when we felt we were doing well. For us it’s just getting that polished performance.
“European sides are more disciplined and stay more patient. If you compare it to the New Zealand sides, they are not so flashy in terms of offloads and all of that, but the guys are sticking to the plan and staying patient and waiting for you to make a mistake.”
The Sharks kick off SA’s quest for more wins when they face Wales’ Ospreys at 8.35pm tonight, with the Lions facing Scotland’s Glasgow Warriors at 4.05 tomorrow.
Fouche and his Stormers teammates will then cross swords with Edinburgh at 6.15pm, before the Bulls will look to end SA’s weekend on a high against Cardiff at 8.35pm.