SOUTH African assistant coach Alan Solomons has slammed the new 20-team format of the World Cup. The world champions believe the system works against the players involved in the quarter-final playoffs because they have an extra game squeezed into an already busy schedule. “It’s very hard on a team having to go into a playoff on the Wednesday and then play in a quarter-final on the following Sunday,” Solomons said. “I understand that in the 2003 World Cup there will be just 16 teams in the tournament, so we shall not have a repeat of the playoff situation.” South Africa, who beat Scotland on Sunday, play their next game on Sunday when they face minnows Spain at Murrayfield.