A mixed Super 14 season prepared the South African players, with both the Sharks and Stormers looking championship material – but the Bulls' poor season as defending champions was only matched by the utter failure of both the Cheetahs and Lions, who competed for the wooden spoon.

The first assignment for South Africa was to be Warren Gatland’s Grand Slamming Wales. The Springboks showed every inch of their class in their first game of the season, making an under-manned team of red dragons look ordinary. 

A South African team full of new combinations looked every bit World champions in a 43-17 triumph. Wales were a shadow of the Six-Nations champions who had conquered Europe, but the Boks did not let them play their free-flowing game.

Much was said of PDV’s desire to change the style of South Africa, but this was not really seen through the first match, with the Springboks classically imposing themselves on the game and building pressure immaculately.

However, in the second Test, a less structured and looser South Africa took to the field, and despite winning 37-21, were constantly challenged by a Wales team that embraced the lack of Springbok pragmatism. Here was a team that wanted to score tries without stacking the phases, and some quiet murmurs were uttered about the lack of a winning game plan in just the second match of the season.

A 26-0 defeat of Italy saw a return of the more suffocating South Africa, although concerns beyond the tactical approach came to the surface.  Selection concerns began to be voiced, and although Francois Steyn is a prodigious talent, he showed a lack of control at No.10 – a position where even now South Africa are unsure of who their first choice is.

Still, the contest in the forward exchanges against the improving Azzurri would have pleased PDV as the Springboks moved into the Tri-Nations.

The eagerly-anticipated games against the All Blacks began with New Zealand grinding down the Springboks for a 19-8 victory. Ironically, it was the All Blacks who played for territory and with expediency; similar to the way South Africa had won the World Cup. Again, the Boks showed lack of consistency with tactics, and questions over selected players. South Africa were guilty of over-forcing their hand – but enough was shown to demonstrate that they were as good as the men in black.

A week later, this was proven with South Africa breaking the All Blacks' run of 30 home victories with a historic 30-28 win at the House of Pain.  While PDV was trying to introduce new players to the Springbok machine, it was World Cup winners such as Percy Montgomery and Schalk Burger who provided the difference. Again, we saw a shift in Springbok tactics, kicking the ball out of hand but for the first time in 2008 reverting to the feared rush defence which had served them well in the past.

South Africa then encountered Robbie Deans' Wallabies – and bought with them a now-expected change of tactical direction. The same can be said of their selection tactics, as inexplicably Montgomery was not selected for the game – and this meant poor on field kicking by South Africa. They were beaten 16-9 - starting a three-match Tri-Nations losing sequence. The Springboks looked ragged and without purpose, and the loss of captain John Smit proved what an asset he was to the national set-up.

The 63-9 destruction of Argentina filled a Tri-Nations gap after 30 minutes trailing the Pumas 9-0, which accentuated how inadequate the loose freewheeling style PDV wants is for South Africa. Maybe it was the presence of Nelson Mandela in the stands that inspired them, because when the Springboks switched back to the intimidators we know they are, they duly supplied a 63-point burst in 50 minutes.

This was poor preparation, though, for an All Black team wanting revenge – and for much of the 19-0 loss the South Africans either ran or kicked the ball without purpose. Quick throws on their own line led directly to a New Zealand try, and again the selections and importance of World Cup winners was felt. Bakkies Botha was sorely missed by South Africa, and for the third time this season, Luke Watson made little impact replacing blond-bomber Burger.

The Springboks' Tri-Nations hopes ended with a 27-15 defeat by Australia, giving the Wallabies their first win in South Africa in years. But the Boks came out the following week and inflicted the worst-ever Test defeat on the Wallabies - by a 53-8 margin. Unlike the previous week, they looked structured, demonised the breakdown, and strung the phases together.

Irrespective of this result, it consigned the Springboks to a Tri-Nations wooden spoon.

As we have seen this last month, the South Africans have had a good European tour on paper, becoming the first Springbok team since 1997 to go unbeaten in the North. However, against Wales and Scotland, they looked uninterested and did not impose themselves on far weaker opposition. This said, at least they displayed a necessary World Championship quality – being able to win despite playing poorly.

The final game of their season was inflicting a 42-6 defeat on England - their worst-ever loss at Twickenham. Thus ended the proverbial roller-coaster of a first season for De Villiers and his men – with them looking in every way world champions with an uncompromising and brutal performance.

Nine wins and four losses do constitute a sound season – but with the title of world champions preceding their name, there would have been higher expectations from their discerning public.

To go with controversy based on the changing of the traditional Springbok emblem to the country's national flower, it has been a typically productive season for the South African rugby community.

If De Villiers heeds the lessons of 2008, then we could see a Springbok team ready to re-stamp themselves on the global stage as the world’s best, with the Lions likely to bring the best out of the world champions.