Johannesburg - Captain Adriaan Strauss believes his Cheetahs team will bounce back after their worst performance of the season thus far, as they target the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs.
The Cheetahs were crushed 28-3 by the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday night, settling in sixth place in the overall standings with two rounds of fixtures remaining before the knockout phase.
The Bloemfontein side face the Blues in the next round and have the comfort of a bye the following week.
"We're very disappointed. It was definitely the shocker of the year for us," Strauss said.
"There's a lot to work on this week.
"We've got one game left, and we'll have a look at the game and see where we went wrong."
He believed they were still in the race for a spot in the playoffs, despite the defeat at the weekend.
"We're still in the running and we'll have a hard look at ourselves, but we'll bounce back, definitely," Strauss said.
"I've still got confidence in the guys and we're looking forward to a good game next weekend."
The Stormers, meanwhile, were in 10th place in the table, with first-round fixtures remaining against the Southern Kings and the Bulls.
Captain Deon Fourie, standing in for injured regular skipper Jean de Villiers, was delighted with the consolation victory.
"We miss him (De Villiers). He's a great leader and a great player, but I think the guys stood up today," Fourie said.
With two games remaining against local teams, Fourie said the Western Cape outfit were hoping to end the campaign on a high note.
"We have two derby matches left and I think we want two wins out of it. We have some pride to play for."