The Free Staters came agonisingly close to a famous win on Sunday in Paris, where Racing 92 snatched a dramatic last-minute try at the iconic La Défense Arena to seal a 31–28 victory. It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Cheetahs, who dominated large portions of the match but were ultimately unable to close it out under the Parisian lights.

Despite the narrow defeat, there were plenty of positives for the Bloemfontein outfit. However, for the first time in their Challenge Cup history, the Cheetahs did not manage to register a victory in the competition. 

While circumstances beyond their control played a role, Sunday’s performance underlined clear progress and showed that the team is heading in the right direction.

Cheetahs forwards coach Tiaan Liebenberg. Photo: Morgan Piek

The Cheetahs flew out of Paris on Monday night and will arrive back home during the course of Tuesday. They will enjoy a short break before shifting their focus to the upcoming SA Cup, which is scheduled to get underway in March.

One of the Cheetahs’ biggest Achilles heels in the Challenge Cup remains the lack of regular high-level international competition. With only four matches a season against top international opposition each year, and without a competition like the United Rugby Championship to sharpen their edge week-in and week-out, it remains an uphill battle to consistently compete at this level.

Head coach Frans Steyn admitted that the lack of regular exposure to elite opposition is a factor but said that lapses in concentration also proved costly – not only against Racing 92, but earlier in the campaign against Exeter Chiefs in England and Stade Français in the Netherlands.

“I think we had enough possession in the second half and created enough chances, but we just couldn’t convert them into points – that’s probably the biggest thing,” said Steyn.

“Then there were also a few soft moments that Racing had, which we allowed them to capitalise on – especially with the quick taps and the quick line-out throws where we weren’t switched on in time. In the end, that cost us.

“At the end of the day, I think the biggest factor was that we last played four weeks ago and also didn’t really train the previous week. I think that meant we were a bit tired towards the end. It’s just one of those things.

Captain Chucky van der Westhuizen was the man of the match against Racing 92. Photo: Morgan Piek

“Having said that, there are definitely a lot of positives to take out of it. I think our pack played well, it was physical, we had some good carries, we won our line-outs and we actually had the upper hand over them in the scrums as well.

“So yes, there are certainly more positives than negatives. But a loss is a loss, and now we need to look at what we have to fix.

“We’ll work on that, and at least we’ll have a short pre-season again before the SA Cup. Hopefully, we can get the SA Cup off to a good start.”

The SA Cup is set to kick off in March, although SA Rugby has yet to confirm the fixtures for the third edition of the competition.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek