The debutant, Marcell Muller, as well as Wilmar Arnoldi, Rhyno Smith and Tian Meyer each scored a brace of tries as the Cheetahs crossed the tryline on eleven occasions.

Muller went over the whitewash late in the second half for what would have been a hat-trick, however, upon reviewing the score, his foot touched the line as he was being tackled.

The flyhalf, Reinhardt Fortuin, managed to convert two attempts on goal before limping off the park with a hamstring injury. Ruan Pienaar took over as the backline marshal and the kicking duties.

Both of the tries by the Elephants were scored by the winger, Xolela Payi.

The Cheetahs did concede 16 penalties in the match and the coach, Hawies Fourie, told OFM Sport that it doesn’t quite add up, but he was happy that a few players got some much-needed game time.

“If I'm correct we conceded 16 penalties.

“If you score 71 points and concede 16 penalties something doesn't make sense.

“On the other hand, a lot of players got game time and there are a few guys that really played well.

“I'm glad for a guy like Marcell (Muller) who scored two times and got a bit of possession to show what he can do.”

The Cheetahs will take a break and will regroup on 7 April.

Scorers:

Cheetahs: Tries - Marcell Muller 3, Wilmar Arnoldi 2, Craig Barry, Oupa Mohoje, Rhyno Smith, Tian Meyer 2, Chris Smit Conv. – Reinhardt Fortuin 2, Ruan Pienaar 6

EP Elephants: Tries  - Xolela Payi 2 Conv. – Inny Radebe 1

@MorganPiek OFM Sport