Cape Town - Bulls and Springbok hooker Schalk Brits believes that relaxing taxes on the country's top rugby players may help keep them playing their rugby in South Africa.

Players leaving for more lucrative deals in Europe and Japan has been an increasing problem with South African rugby authorities, and there has been no end in sight.

Eben Etzebeth is the latest star Springbok to be linked with a move up north with reports late last year suggesting he had signed a big-money deal with Toulon after the completion of the 2019 World Cup.

Centre Jesse Kriel, meanwhile, has been linked with a move to the Leicester Tigers while current Boks like Faf de Klerk, Vincent Koch, Francois Louw and Willie le Roux are all based abroad.

According to an interview with Netwerk24 Brits, who has just signed for the Bulls after a decade long career at Saracens, believes that giving tax breaks to South Africa's big players could be one way of keeping them in the country.

"We will never be able to compete with the overseas contracts. But maybe there is a legitimate way to give tax relief to our players," Brits said.

"We no longer have mentors in our rugby, and it is a pity that so many of our players are playing overseas.

"There are no more players in the middle level – you get the Springboks and then the young players who are taking their first steps in Super Rugby. The men who have to transfer the intellectual capital are overseas."