Cheetahs coach Franco Smith was not concerned about the 43-7 scoreline against the Stormers in their first pre-season match in Harare on Saturday because his objectives for the match were not based on the result.

The Cheetahs were outscored by seven tries to one but Smith fielded a starting team that included two players who were part of the Currie Cup final last October. The match also featured up to 10 substitutions and in essence it was a hugely experimental Cheetahs team made up of under-21 and fringe players.

“The score wasn’t a true reflection of the performance‚” Smith said.

“We gave away five turnover tries after dominating territory. We had more scrums and lineouts but we had an inexperienced team.

“I only used two players from the Currie Cup final because our objectives from this game were to allow game time to many players who haven’t played since last June.

“There is no club rugby in Bloemfontein during the Currie Cup so it was important to get these players on the field in a competitive match.

“The main aim was to build some depth because when we reach rounds seven to 11 during Super Rugby‚ that’s when we’re going to play against the New Zealand sides‚ which might coincide when we start feeling the effects of injuries and bumps and bruises.

“So I have to know what I’ve got in terms of depth.

“That was my main objective out of this game‚ and I saw some really good play from a lot of the young guys.

“Most people will read a lot into the scoreboard‚ but that was not our objective at all.”

The Cheetahs will have a training camp in Durban this week as they prepare to take on the Sharks in their next Super Rugby warm-up match at the weekend.