On Friday night, the Leopards suffered a crushing 69-0 defeat at the hands of the Toyota Cheetahs, who ran in a total of 11 tries. Scrumhalf Jandré Nel crossed the whitewash four times, while hooker Chucky van der Westhuizen dotted down for a brace.

The Cheetahs were clinical, while the Leopards simply had no answers to the onslaught. To make matters worse, a week earlier, the Leopards endured a 64-7 loss to the defending champions, the Suzuki Griquas, in Potchefstroom.

Ig Prinsloo. Photo: Morgan Piek

Reacting to his team’s defeat at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, coach Matthew Proudfoot told OFM Sport that he felt they had taken a step backwards and needed to find a solution ahead of their derby against the Griffons next week.

“I think the positives from tonight are few and far between—we took a step backwards. I’m disappointed in our intent,” said Proudfoot.

“I thought the Cheetahs’ intent was superb. Their set-piece was excellent, and their intensity at the breakdown was outstanding. They just bullied us at the breakdown, and that’s what disappointed me the most.

Matt Proudfoot. Photo: Morgan Piek

“We’ve spent a lot of time working on these aspects to ensure we’re competitive at the breakdown and strong in the set-piece, but I don’t think we were there tonight. That’s what really frustrated me.

“In the second half, there were a few positives. Some players came on and showed that they were prepared to get stuck in. At that stage, the game was already gone, but you look for the intent with which they play, and I was happy with what I saw. It’s something we can build on.

“We always knew that the first three games against Currie Cup Premier Division sides would be tough, especially with a new team. This is only the second game this squad has played together. But all I ask from them is to stay in the fight for longer periods. At 21-0 down after 14 minutes, that blew us away. Some of our senior players made errors, and that simply wasn’t good enough. That’s something we need to address.”

Proudfoot added that it’s now about regrouping, refocusing, and wearing the jersey with pride when they face the Purple People Eaters from Welkom next week.

“I need to reassess the team composition – maybe it’s time to back the younger players and give them a shot. I’ll have a look at that this week.

“It’s a big game for us against the Griffons on Saturday. We’ve got an eight-day turnaround, whereas this was only a six-day turnaround, which was tough – especially coming off a big game against the Griquas, who are an exceptional side, and then facing an even stronger team. But that’s the challenge. If you want to play at this level, you have to adapt.

Imaad Phillips. Photo: Morgan Piek

“We’ll head home, put together a strong team, and put up a good fight. Most importantly, I want the players to show pride in the jersey. It’s a jersey with a lot of history – I wore it myself and expect the same commitment from my team. I don’t think we saw that tonight.”

The Leopards are set for a major boost with the team having secured the services of the nippy former University of the Free State Shimlas scrumhalf, Chadd Adams. He is an explosive player that will keep their opponents on their toes.

Next Saturday’s Jan Fourie Trophy clash between the Leopards and Griffons at Olën Park in Potchefstroom will kick off at 15:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg