Leezil Hendricks reviews a mixed 2026 season for the Springbok Women — one that produced genuine milestones but also exposed the inconsistency that will need addressing before the 2029 World Cup cycle peaks. The positives were real: a record sixth Rugby Africa Cup title (achieved without several first-choice players, which meaningfully strengthened squad depth), a first-ever series win over Fiji, and a brief climb to ninth in the world rankings — the highest in their history. Yonela Ngxingolo also became only the second South African woman to reach 50 Test caps. But the season was disrupted by Swys de Bruin's resignation the day before the Black Ferns clash, and the WXV campaign opened with a heavy defeat to Wales before the Boks steadied with wins over Italy (their first on Italian soil) and Spain. Back-to-back losses to Ireland ended the year on a flat note. Hendricks's conclusion is that the post-2025 World Cup momentum is genuine but fragile — the work now is converting promising performances into the kind of sustained consistency a serious World Cup contender needs.