Back-to-back losses to Ireland — 40-27 and 38-17 — close out the Bok Women's season on a flat note, but Johannes-Haupt and September are framing it as useful data rather than a setback. The theme running through both coaches' post-match comments is that the squad was competitive for long stretches — leading 17-14 with 20 minutes left in Athlone — but couldn't close. A yellow card, defensive lapses out wide, and Ireland's clinical finishing in the red zone were the difference. September noted pointedly that Ireland's ability to convert every 22 entry was a deliberate post-World Cup work-on for them, and that the Bok Women need to develop the same ruthlessness. With World Cup planning already shaping selection — injuries accelerating the blooding of younger players — the coaching staff seem to view this series less as a measure of where the team is now and more as a baseline for where they need to get to. Stand-in captain Solontsi echoed that, warning the squad against treating the off-season as downtime.