The Springboks retained the Rugby Championship title, inflicted a record test defeat on old foes New Zealand, completed comprehensive wins in France and Ireland, and racked up a record score against ailing Wales in Cardiff.
It was not a perfect 12 months, however, with a second-half capitulation at Ellis Park against Australia, who claimed a rare win in Johannesburg, and a poor performance in defeat by New Zealand as they failed to break an 88-year Auckland hoodoo.
But having used over 50 players in 2025 South Africa managed to win 12 of their 14 tests, most easily, all the while bedding in a more expansive playing style under attack coach Tony Brown which secured a historic 43-10 win in Wellington over the All Blacks.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu emerged as the new star, racking up the most tries ever by a Springbok flyhalf with nine between September and November alone, surpassing Morne Steyn and Handre Pollard.
It was the continued evolution of their scrum, however, no matter who made up the forward pack, that will sound alarm bells for rivals. When the Springboks needed a penalty, the set-piece almost always delivered.
Hooker Malcolm Marx won World Rugby Player of the Year, though loosehead prop Ox Nche was their most potent scrummager and but for an injury in the second half of the season might well have won that award.
The way the Springboks dismantled the Ireland scrum in Dublin was one of the most powerful performances ever seen in the test arena.
Having tied coach Rassie Erasmus down to a new contract until 2031, plenty of international rivals will have sleepless nights on how to counter the Springboks’ power at the next two World Cups.
France won the 2025 Six Nations Championship but had a mixed 12 months having sent a weakened team on a three-match tour of New Zealand that ended in a 3-0 defeat.
As Ireland also faltered, it was England who built up a head of steam under coach Steve Borthwick, missing out on the Six Nations title by a single point in a tightly contested championship.
They then won 11 tests in a row to climb from seventh to third in the world rankings, and look the most likely challengers to the Springboks in two years time.
Coach Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions completed a 2-1 series victory in Australia, a contest that was closer than many envisaged as the Wallabies blew hot and cold through the year.
Australia enter a new era under coach Les Kiss in the middle of 2026 on shaky ground as they build towards the global finals on home soil.
England lifted the Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy with a comfortable 33-13 victory over Canada at a sold-out Twickenham. The tournament broke records for attendances and had over a billion social media impressions in a boost to the women’s game.
A new competition independent from World Rugby called Rugby360 was mooted through the year but came under fire from the establishment before its proposed start date was moved to 2028.