The Highlanders' season could travel down many paths, but this match in Invercargill was a blueprint on how not to play.
They were comprehensively outplayed by an energetic and committed Cheetahs side on Saturday. The ball did fall the way of the Cheetahs - they scored a couple of opportunist tries - but they were superior for the bulk of the game, through a physical approach and staunch defence.
The Highlanders got rattled easily, fell into playing too much helter-skelter rugby and just could not find many holes in what was an outstanding defensive line from the visiting team.
The Highlanders were one-dimensional, ran across field too often and made some basic errors. The ball was too slow coming back from the breakdown, and often when it did, it went to a flat-footed forward who simply moved the play 5m sideways.
Few emerged from the clash with any plaudits, although winger Kade Poki picked up three tries, a first at this level for the powerful winger.
But that was scant consolation for Poki afterwards.
''I was happy to score three, but to come away with a loss, I was not happy. I thought in the first half we created opportunities but the execution was just not there tonight,'' Poki said.
''When we went into the forwards they just dominated us a lot. We started getting a bit frantic and rushing things which was a bit tough.
''We had to start playing catch-up footy and chasing the game and that always becomes hard.''
Poki's tries showed the team had the ability to get across the tryline.
''When we were patient and drew the man well, we looked good. We just had to show a bit of patience and work the man in the space.''
Apart from Poki, Ben Smith also looked threatening, but the backline looked to initiate contact too much rather than search for space.
Lima Sopoaga was pulled three minutes from halftime after a forgettable first half, where his kicking game went astray. Colin Slade came on and one positive from the match was he showed promise at times.
Up front, Brad Thorn tried hard in his first match in the Highlanders jersey, but it is obvious to even a blind man that the Highlanders are badly missing loose forwards Nasi Manu and Adam Thomson.
Even that duo would have struggled to breach a Cheetahs defensive line which resembled the Great Wall of China. The Highlanders failed to find a gap in it and the Cheetahs scored the first 10 points.
Johan Goosen banged over a penalty after 10 minutes and then on the 20 minute mark the Cheetahs scored the opening try. Impressive loose forward Lappies Labuschagne found some space out wide, brushed off an average Joe Wheeler tackle and the speedy Sarel Pretorius was on hand to cater 35m to score.
Home spirits were lifted when Sopoaga put through a nice chip kick for Poki to run on to and the Highlanders got on the scoreboard.
The joy was short-lived as the Cheetahs scored from a controversial call when Robert Ebersohn was ruled to have gathered a chargedown which looked suspiciously like a knock-on.
Pretorius then nabbed a loose ball and ran 50m untouched and the hosts were down 30-7 going into the break.
Super 15
The scores
Cheetahs 36
Sarel Pretorius 2, Robert Ebersohn tries; Johan Goosen 3 con, 5 pen
Highlanders 19
Kade Poki 3 tries; Lima Sopoaga con, Colin Slade con
Halftime: Cheetahs 30-7.
Crowd: 6330
