The Springboks departed Australia late on Monday to return to their clubs and provincial unions, and will begin their preparations for the northern hemisphere spectacle in October.

South Africa will next face Italy (Saturday 7 November), France (Friday 13 November), and Ireland (Saturday 21 November), before the Nations Championship Finals Weekend in London, which will be hosted in London between 27 and 29 November.

Jasper Wiese, who earned his 50th Test cap this past weekend, did not hide his disappointment about the loss to the Wallabies on Sunday, but he adopted a positive attitude to the team’s way forward.

“The fire is going to be bigger,” said Wiese.

“I think everybody in this group just wants to give their best for South Africa and for this jersey, and I’m convinced we’ll come back stronger.”

Wiese was also grateful for the opportunity the match offered the team with an eye on their preparations for the Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in Australia next year.

“We got to know the environment that we’re going to be in and how the travel arrangements will work, so playing here was very valuable and something we can take into next year,” he said. “We always want to win while learning, but unfortunately sometimes that’s not the case.”

Springboks keep bigger picture in mind

On Sunday, the Springboks entered the break trailing 17-24, which became 17-42 after 65 minutes, but clawed their way back late in the second half, eventually suffering the four-point defeat.

Captain on the day, Andre Esterhuizen, suggested a lack of execution and poor discipline proved costly.

“I don’t think it was too disjointed, I think the discipline was the key factor that let us down,” he said. “All of us trained together for the last 18, 19 weeks so we know the plan well, but it was just about executing.

“It was quite an intense game, quite quick for a Test match, but they capitalised on all our errors and discipline let us down, especially in that first half. We let them in too many times and that really hurt us.”

end-of-year fixtures

  • Saturday 7 November: Italy v Boks
    • Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
    • Kick off: 16:00
  • Friday 13 November: France v Boks
    • Venue: Stade de France, Paris
    • Kick off: 22:00
  • Saturday 21 November: Ireland v Boks
    • Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
    • Kick off: 19:30
  • 27–29 November: Finals Weekend
    • Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
    • Kick off: TBC