Sir Matt Williams is at it again.

The outspoken Australian, long known as the Springboks’ harshest critic, has ripped into the quality of this year’s Investec Champions Cup, describing several matches as “an absolute mess” and accusing South African clubs of dragging down the prestige of Europe’s flagship competition.

“The standard of some matches this weekend was really poor,” Williams said on the Off the Ball podcast. “I watched a lot of the games and quite a few of them were an absolute mess.”

MORE: Andre the Giant leads Sharks into Sarries battle

It’s a stinging indictment from a man who has never hesitated to point fingers at the world champion Springboks, but this time his anger is aimed squarely at the South African franchises, which he doesn’t feel belong among Europe’s heavyweights.

Williams insisted the tournament once set the global benchmark for elite club rugby,  but claims that era is fading fast.

“In the old Heineken Cup every match was phenomenal, with every team giving their best. The competition still has a lot of prestige, but many of the clubs playing in it now have lowered its value.”

ALSO: Bulls rising star faces injury layoff

He contrasted that with the approach of traditional powerhouses.

“Teams like Toulouse, Saracens, Leinster and Bath are using their best players in the competition,” he said.

“Those clubs are tied to the very identity of the Champions Cup… and the people running these tournaments need to do something meaningful about this.”

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images