This time around, the Central Franchise's players were unable to claim points against the Guinness Pro14 Conference A leaders, the Glasgow Warriors.

Going up against the Scottish giants at the Scotstoun Stadium in the West End of Glasgow, was never going to be an easy task, and it was the hosts who reigned supreme with a 35-17 victory on Saturday evening.

The defeat means that the Cheetahs have failed to qualify for the Pro14 playoffs for the first time.

Most supporters will view this as a failure, however, it is not the end of the world, especially in a season which was regarded as a rebuilding season after losing close to 20 players in May last year.

While a lack of experience is never an excuse, regaining lost experience is an important part of the building process, and in many regards, it is better for an entire squad to build together.

The Cheetahs do enjoy some time away from the field now before entering their last block of three matches, which will all be played at home.

The hooker, Joseph Dweba, who scored the Cheetahs' second try against Glasgow, and also his fifth of the campaign, told OFM Sport they are confident of finishing their “European” on a high note, and this will also be to the advantage of the upcoming Currie Cup.

“It was a hard game and we went there with a mind-set to do our best with everything in the game, but we couldn't pull off the win. We learnt from it and we can fix our mistakes. We are back home now and we hope and believe that we will finish off our rugby season with a big bang and use all that we learnt in the Pro14.

“We are going into the Currie Cup with an open mind, and we hope that what we did in the Pro14 we will be able to implement. We will just on fighting until we get great results and go with it.”

The major positive for the Cheetahs will be that they will enter the world’s oldest and toughest domestic competition at near full strength as the Currie Cup and Pro14 will not be overlapping.

The Cheetahs' next game in the Pro14 will be on 6 April when they host the Welsh outfit, Ospreys, at the Toyota Stadium.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport