A back-and-forth opening ten minutes soon gave way as another of Cheetahs’ standout individuals rose to the occasion, with hooker extraordinaire Joseph Dweba crashing over for two first-half tries.

Kings showed plenty of fight in response and it could be argued the 17-0 half-time scoreline was flattering to the Cheetahs, who were clinical but far from their best in the opening 40 minutes.

That all changed in the final 25 minutes though as they added four more tries and produced the sort of rugby that had left Guinness PRO14 fans salivating at the mouth in the first three rounds.

Home is where the points are

With Clayton Blommetjies back in the mix and Smith once again among the scorers, the picture was nothing but rosy by the time the final whistle put Kings out of their misery.

A comprehensive 45-0 scoreline secured another valuable bonus point for Cheetahs, who now have a seven-point cushion over the next closet side in Conference A – Glasgow Warriors.

And while it feels too early to say that is insurmountable with 11 rounds still to play, there are a lot of aspects playing into Cheetahs’ favour as we reach the business end of the season.

Back-to-back away trips against Leinster and Ulster may look daunting on paper but both teams will be shorn of their internationals as the Guinness Six Nations occupies many headline names.

Added to the fact that six of their remaining 11 games are in Bloemfontein, where they are unbeaten this season, the stats suggest they are in great shape to finish in the top three of Conference A.

Certainly with the likes of Dweba and Smith at their disposal, you would be hard pressed to find a rugby fan who would not enjoy the prospect of a South African flavour to the Final Series.