Kings count the costs
The Kings suffered a 10-28 defeat at the hands of the Boland Cavaliers in Port Elizabeth on Friday and will now be sweating over the fitness of captain Schalk Ferreira and scrumhalf Ricky Schroeder.
"Schalk [Ferreira] hurt his groin and Ricky [Schroeder] damaged his ankle. We got them off as quick as we could as we did not want to take any chances simply because we don't have the depth," Pieterse said.
Despite the injury concerns and the unfavourable result, Pieterse remained proud of the effort his team made.
"I cannot fault them for their effort and sticking to the system that was put in place in two or three days ago. I saw guys putting their body on the line and stopping Boland's momentum. The set-pieces were running well, so I am very happy.
"I feel like we did a bit too much in the first half and that cost us towards the end of the game where you could see the guys were getting tired.
"If there is one work on for the week, it would definitely be our kicking game because we tried to play too much in our own half, and that's what killed us at the end of the day. With the kicking game, our chasing lines need some work as well but I will take heart from the performance.
"No-one is ever happy after being beaten but I can't fault any of the players for a lack of effort. There is a good vibe in the team and they are a tight unit. This competition is about opportunity and I feel that at least half of the guys put their hands up and took the opportunity given to them," he added.
