Challenge Cup: Cheetahs boss Frans Steyn rues missed opportunity

The proud men from Bloemfontein scored a brace of tries in the dying embers of the first half to take a 17-14 lead into the second stanza in Amsterdam. But the French side rallied to score 31 unanswered points before a late consolation try from the Cheetahs ended the contest, going down 45-22.

This drew the ire of coach Frans Steyn, as the result has made earning a playoff berth increasingly unlikely with just two pool matches remaining.

"We had the chance to slaughter a giant today, and we didn't," he told the media.

"That is the most disappointing thing for me. 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."

"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."