VIDEO: Cheetahs come up short and Frans Steyn isn’t having fun
REACTION: The Cheetahs missed a golden opportunity to slay a European giant, falling 22-45 to Stade Français in Amsterdam in what could have been a statement-making win.
Instead, it turned into a frustrating defeat, highlighting the gulf between potential and performance.
Stade Français ran in six tries, including a Thibaut Motassi brace, to secure a commanding 45-22 bonus-point win over the Cheetahs in Round Two of the Challenge Cup in Amsterdam on Saturday.
The Cheetahs, who led 17-14 at halftime after clawing their way back from an early 0-14 deficit, were undone by a second-half collapse. Two quick tries from the French side at the start of the second half shifted momentum decisively, and Stade Français never looked back.
The defeat leaves the Cheetahs with two losses from two games, making a playoff berth increasingly unlikely with just two pool matches remaining.
Cheetahs head coach Frans Steyn’s reflections were blunt.
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“We had the chance to slaughter a giant today, and we didn’t. That is the most disappointing thing for me,” he said.
“If we had a few more moments like that [Jandre Nel’s try], it would have been fun, but at the moment it is not fun.
“We had it, and at some point, we need to switch on and start delivering proper performances because at the moment we are not proving a point to anybody.”
He added: “I don’t think we are going to hit the reset button [for 2026], I think we are going to think about this one for a while.
“I am going to play this one over and over so that we try not to make the same mistakes when we get back here [Netherlands]. I think we have a great side and everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, and we need to play more to our strengths than our weaknesses.”
Addressing the team’s handling under pressure without the leadership of their captain Victor Sekekete, who is out due to injury, he said: “We continuously put ourselves under pressure. We have to handle those things better and be better.
“We definitely missed Victor, but we are all paid to do a job, and we need to be able to slot in and out and get it over the line. We’ve got a great group of leaders at the moment. When one goes down, the other one needs to step up.”
Reflecting on what needs improving, Steyn concluded: “I don’t think there is a lot we need to fix, just looking after the ball better. I haven’t looked through the game yet.
“I am obviously frustrated with the result, and only after watching the video will one get a better idea, so I don’t really know.”
