Davids: We played against ourselves

The Kings looked good in the opening quarter of the match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, but they were quickly brought down to earth by a hungry Jaguares side and some costly errors.

"I think we started well," said Davids. "We did some good things at the start and towards the end. I just think that we could not find that rhythm and intensity that we would have liked to have.

"You can't play rugby without the ball and our line-outs and scrums were not as good and it is something we definitely need to work on.

"We just played against ourselves – the first 10 minutes after half-time we conceded two simple tries. It was not structured tries that they scored. They scored from our mistakes and that is something that we need to improve on."

Davids said they will have plenty to work on ahead of their next match against the Sunwolves in Singapore.

"We need to ensure that we get quality ball from our set pieces," Davids added. "We need to ensure that whenever we kick the ball that we apply good pressure, especially when it is a contestable kick.

"We need to ensure that we play more rugby in the opponent’s half and less rugby in our own half.

"I think in the first half we played too much rugby in our own territory and we couldn't get out and that made it easier for them to play from turnovers and put us under pressure."

Meanwhile, the Kings will travel to Singapore without lock Irne Herbst, after the 23-year-old sustained a concussion against the Jaguares.

The Kings were dealt another blow last week when another lock, Cameron Lindsay, sustained a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) tear at training. The 25-year-old has been ruled out of action for 12 weeks.

Prop Dayan van der Westhuizen and wing Wandile Mjekevu returned to full training on Monday after both players recovered from foot injuries.

Flank Cyril-John Velleman continues to make good progress with the rehabilitation on his injured knee. He is on track for a return to action in April.

@rugby365com