Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske was delighted with how accurately his team managed to execute their gameplan against the Stormers on Saturday, and wants to take the winning momentum into the Super Rugby season.

The Cheetahs boss picked a near full-strength side to play against what was effectively a second-string Stormers outfit, but he still took great heart from the tactical and technical maturity they showed by closing out the game.

The Bloemfontein-based outfit, who are known for their free-running approach, were determined to keep the Stormers on the back foot and kicked quite a lot as they tried to keep the battle in the home team's half.

The Cheetahs have got a reputation as Super Rugby slow starters and Drotkse has been determined to turn that around with a tougher pre-season in which they are playing to win, which was evident in the way they approached the clash at Newlands.

The Cheetahs coach explained: "You have got to respect the Stormers, you don't score easy tries against them and we have made the mistake in the past of trying to play too much rugby in our own half against them."

Another factor in this approach was the Cheetahs' record last year of playing attractive rugby but coming up just short in the tight encounters, so Drotske was keen to see his team keep their lead and close the game out in the second half.

Replacement flyhalf Sias Ebersohn came in for glowing praise from his coach for the way that he controlled the game with his boot, keeping the Stormers frustrated in the dying stages.

Drotske said: "I was very happy with the second half I think we played technically correctly. In the past we have lost some tight games in the last 10 or 15 minutes so, after being ahead and making some mistakes. When Sias [Ebersohn] came on in the second half he played very well tactically.

"Tonight when we were ahead Sias kicked very well tactically, he didn't just kick it back at them, he kicked intelligently. I think that frustrated them in the second half," he added.

This does not mean that the Cheetahs are forsakiing their attacking style, but rather adding a pragmatic string to their bow as they attempt to show that they are a versatile team that can adapt according to the unique challenges the opposition and the conditions present.

Drotske believes that his team is stronger than it was last year, when they played some irresistable attacking rugby despite being somewhat flaky on defence, especially with some of the promising talent being blooded in the backline.

"Overall I think we have got better attacking ability than last year. The loss of Sarel [Pretorius] and Riaan [Viljoen] is maybe a setback for us because they brought a lot to our attack.

"But I thought that Piet van Zyl was good on attack, Johan Goosen brings a new dimension and with Rocco [Jansen] on the wing I think we have got the pace. All over we have got a better team than last year, there is no doubt in my mind," said the Cheetahs boss.

Drotske said that inspirational Springbok flank Juan Smith will only be available for selection when the Cheetahs return from their overseas tour, but added that he is not overly concerned as there are so many options to wear the No.7 jersey in the likes of Davon Raubenheimer, Phillip van der Walt and Ashley Johnson.

"We have got two games in South Africa and then we go on a four-week tour so we expect him [Smith] to be back in game seven when we come back, that is what we are aiming for at this stage," he said.

By Michael de Vries