Springbok greats insist SA sides can compete with Europe's elite in Champions Cup
Both the Bulls and Stormers exited the competition at the last-16 stage last weekend, bringing an end to South African involvement in the tournament.
Since joining the Champions Cup in the 2022/23 season, no South African side has progressed beyond the quarter-finals.
By contrast, they have been far more successful in the United Rugby Championship, producing at least one finalist in each season since 2022.
Burger believes that while the URC remains the primary focus for the franchises, South African teams would be capable of going deep in Europe if they placed greater emphasis on the Champions Cup.
"I think if that becomes your main focus, it can be. We're talking SA Rugby is on board, the franchises are on board and you go, ‘I want to target Europe', I think you can," he said on the Boks Unpacked podcast.
"The issue is at a neutral venue in Spain, can you beat Bordeaux? That's going to be your question. The URC teams, you know that you can beat a Leinster, it's been done before, the unknown is is can you beat Toulouse in Europe or can you beat Bordeaux in Europe?"
De Villiers agreed with Burger that the likes of the Bulls and Stormers have the ability to win it, but states that they are hampered by the format.
The South African have to travel more than their European rivals and, as a result, have tended to rotate when playing away from home in the Champions Cup.
That has duly impacted their chances of getting home games in the knockouts, which has duly led to some early exits.
"That's a definite yes," De Villiers responded when asked if South Africa could produce a Champions Cup winner. "You get to a final, neutral venue, I think we can be very competitive and beat a team in the final, the issue is getting there.
"The way that the competition is structured, it's going to be extremely difficult for a South African team to finish top-half, to then have home games to be able to get to the final.
"The getting there is where it is difficult for us. A one-off against a team, certainly I back our chances, but it's just getting there.
"Because you're not playing all your games in South Africa, so you have to travel, and it is in the middle of another competition, that's just where we are seeing it be difficult."
The last-16 featured just one away victory but the Bulls and Stormers came closer than most to bucking that trend, suggesting they can compete with the best.
"They didn't get it over the line at the weekend but arguably the Bulls and the Stormers should have won," Burger added.