Esterhuizen zooms in on positives
Monday proved to be filled with doom and gloom for the new coach as his side struggled to find their feet in front of home supporters. In UCT's defeat, the Madibaz scored five tries, which included a brace by centre Andile Jho.
"I am really disappointed. It was a match we could have won," Esterhuizen told rugby365.com. 
"To go down at such a margin, I don’t think it’s a fair reflection of the match."
The 36-year-old believes his side had ample opportunities to steer the game back in their favour but a lack of concentration made it impossible.
"During the match, we dominated the first quarter and dominated the third quarter. We literally just lost it in the 20 minutes before halftime. For example, in a spell of seven minutes, we conceded three tries which gave them momentum and made it hard for us.
"My team is young but I just think it was a lack of concentration. And at varsity level that is enough to put you on the ropes," he added.
Heading into their next match Esterhuizen is adamant that his side has enough skill to turn the tide and avoid emulating their 2016 season.
"It is hard starting your campaign with a loss but there are so many positives. We have the skill to keep possession and gain territory. However, it is our ability to finish and approach to the breakdown we need to work on.
"Madibaz bullied us at the breakdown and we shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. If the officials are going to manage the match like that, we should also climb in and use it to our advantage like they did," he added.
Leezil Hendricks
@Leezil07
@rugby365.com
