It was a matter of the Lions showing a lot more hunger during the so-called battle of the cats, as the Cheetahs simply did not pitch up for the game on the Highveld.

While the Currie Cup is a very important part of South African rugby, it could almost be considered as a blessing in disguise for the team from Bloemfontein as the competition is sadly not as financially lucrative as it has been in the past.

Had the Cheetahs won the match and earned the right to challenge Western Province in the semi-final at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, it would have left the team with selection headaches, mere days before heading back up north for their second tour in the Guinness Pro14.

Contractually the Cheetahs are obliged to field their strongest possible team in the Pro14. Had the Cheetahs reached the Currie Cup final, they would have been forced to field a "second string" side again, as they are in action in the Pro14 on the same day. This was confirmed by the CEO of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), Jurie Roux, during the launch of the Pro14 in Cape Town earlier this year.

The facts are the Celtic Rugby tournament, which includes teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa is financially more lucrative, and now the Cheetahs can solely focus on this competition until hopefully the end of May 2018.

The Cheetahs depart for Parma in Italy on Monday 23 October, where they will tackle Zebre at Stadio Lanfranchi on the 28th, the same day as the Currie Cup final.

From there the team departs for Ireland where they will be in action against Connacht in Galway. It will be the fourth Irish opponent the Cheetahs have faced, and arguably the easiest.

The Cheetahs coach, Rory Duncan, said focusing on just one tournament will make life a lot easier for the team.

"We always knew that it was going to be tough when it comes to this part of the competition because we've been stretching the guys a bit, but the break is just around the corner. It does make life easier focusing on only one competition. Just from a training perspective, you've got all the numbers on their feet and you're not trying to do a balancing act with the two teams."

Upon the Cheetahs return from Europe, there will be another near three-week break before hosting Edinburgh (25 November) and the defending champions, Scarlets (2 December).

Morgan Piek/OFM Sport