Ireland completed a WXV Global Series sweep over South Africa with a 38-17 win at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday, backing up their 40-27 victory a week earlier. The Springbok Women led 17-14 entering the final 20 minutes but conceded three tries in the last quarter, with a yellow card and defensive lapses out wide proving costly.
Co-head coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September both acknowledged Ireland's clinical finishing while drawing cautious optimism from the year overall. Johannes-Haupt pointed to Ireland's execution in the 22 as a benchmark: "Their ability to score when they were in our 22-metre area was top drawer and something we need to get to as well."
September said the team had addressed the errors from the first test but could not sustain it through the closing stages. He noted that Ireland's coach credited closing out matches as a specific post-World Cup work-on for his side, and that the Springbok Women can draw a similar lesson from the experience.
Injuries disrupted the squad throughout the campaign, most recently the loss of captain Babalwa Latsha, with Sizophila Solontsi stepping in. Solontsi, one of three Springbok try-scorers on Saturday, said the team's leadership group eased the transition and urged her teammates to keep working through the off-season rather than switching off.
Johannes-Haupt framed the season in the context of the World Cup build-up, noting that injuries had accelerated the blooding of younger players. Both coaches said the overall trajectory remains positive, with the next objective being to convert competitive performances against top-five sides into wins.