The gulf in class and conditioning was writ large again as the Cheetahs ensured the Eastern Province Elephants would experience another chastening 80 minutes in the preparation series, running in 11 tries en route to a 71-12 victory in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
It means Peter de Villiers' charges conceded 255 points in four outings, vividly illustrating how far this team is off from becoming a competitive unit.
To his credit, the former Springbok coach has never denied that he desperately needs a infusion of pedigreed players to kick-start rugby's revival in the region.
For the Cheetahs, who now await an announcement from SA Rugby with regards to how they'll keep busy while the PRO16 franchises contest the Rainbow Cup from next month, this was an efficient peformance, but little more.
They had far too much pace and guile on the outside, evidenced by their back three of Rhyno Smith, Craig Barry and 19-year-old debutant Marcell Muller scoring five tries between them.
Muller, who early last year was still in the employ of French giants Montpellier before being lured back to the City of Roses during hard lockdown, is a 102kg, 1.87m mountain of a man and impressed with his physicality and pace.
In fact, it's hard not to make early comparisons with Scotland's new SA-born star, Duhan van der Merwe.
Hooker Wilmar Arnoldi, lock Rynier Bernardo and the flank duo of Andisa Ntsila and Oupa Mohoje also impressed with the consistency with which they won their collisions to ensure a more direct route to the tryline.
Yet home coach, Hawies Fourie, will not be happy with a penalty count that was once again too high.
It's been an Achilles heel for this team for the best part of a year now and will be particularly galling that they infringed so much while on the front foot.
Nonetheless, the Cheetahs still had more than enough gas in the tank to keep their opponents on a leash.
The Elephants still lack a reliable set-piece from which to give their talented backs a platform from, again losing numerous line-outs, while their scrum only really had some form of ascendancy when they faced seven Cheetahs, Mohoje being sent to the sin bin for repeated off-side infringements.
But there were some bright moments.
Winger Xolela Payi's first of two tries came from some patient, nifty phase play after lock Athenkosi Khetani made a neat steal in midfield and there was some brave if isolated defence, notably when Muller was denied a hat-trick by counterpart Josiah Twum-Boafo's last gasp tackle.
However, the collective product simply isn't strong enough for this level.
Points:
Cheetahs - 71 (31)
Tries: Marcell Muller (2), Wilmar Arnoldi (2), Rhyno Smith (2), Craig Barry, Oupa Mohoje, Tian Meyer (2), Chris Smit
Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (6), Reinhardt Fortuin (2)
EP Elephants - 12 (5)
Tries: Xolela Payi (2)