The Cheetahs were once again heavily penalised during the match in Bloemfontein, however, poor defense in the first ten minutes of the second half was the telling factor in the match.

Cheetahs coach, Hawies Fourie, told OFM Sport that the discipline has been a concern since the PRO14.

“It’s been a concern since the PRO Rugby last year.

“When we started after the lockdown one of the things we focused on was discipline. We were one of the most penalised teams in the PRO Rugby.

“We tried to address it, but we still give away soft penalties in vital moments of the game.

“Most of the time they are vital. We concede points or a lot of territory or we give the other team an attacking opportunity in our 22.

“The Lions capitalised on that, and it’s a big reason why we lost.”

The Pumas will host the Cheetahs in Nelspruit at 19:00 on Friday in their next match.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport