Earlier in the month the Cheetahs earned a bonus point with a 27-12 win over Zebre in Parma.

On Friday evening the Cheetahs ground out a late 24-17 win over a spirited Southern Kings move back into contention for a play-offs berth.

While the Cheetahs error rate against the Kings was very high, the coach Franco Smith says that it is important to move on.

“It is a tough one,” said the former Springbok.

“You cannot be that hard if there are a lot of errors. You can be hard on the side up to a point, especially if you're trying to build a young team.

“They are all still learning lessons, so if you keep on playing the blame game they will lose their confidence.

“For us, this victory means mental healing. I can say to these guys that this is good enough, and this isn’t good enough. That will help our coaching process a lot.

“The Kings will know, that once you are on your knees it is really difficult to stand up. Once you are on your feet you can really work hard and that is what we are going to aim for from now on.”

During the Cheetahs first season in the competition, they claimed the double over Zebre with home and away wins.

Saturday’s game between the Cheetahs and Zebre at the Toyota Stadium kicks off at 15:00.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport