It was a remarkable end to the season for Ireland, beating the back-to-back world champions, with their most experienced squad ever, and away from home.
When you put it like that, the tour has been hugely positive for Ireland.
There was constant chat around developing players, rotating selection and fair questioning of the approach after an incredibly long season, which included a World Cup.
There were a few standout winners from the tour.
With question marks over his approach and some of his selections, Andy Farrell has proven once again just how good he is at creating a narrative for this team and getting the most out of them on the pitch, both strategically and collectively.
He has great help from coaches and backroom staff, but that's exactly what makes a great leader.
The Englishman has empowered the people around him to create an environment that consistently delivers defining moments in Irish rugby.
Some of those selections have worked wonders.
Jamie Osborne (above), well-known as a centre, was supposed to make his debut on this tour somewhere around Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, but has now starred as a full-back, in the absence of Hugo Keenan.
Since the World Cup last year, there’s been a serious gap in Ireland’s succession planning at 15.
Keenan is vital to Ireland’s success on both sides of the ball. Leaving the squad before the end of the season to contribute to the Irish Sevens Olympic hopes, there was a further gap in the backfield.
Osborne, delivered an aerial performance in Saturday evening's win over the Springboks that would fill you with confidence for some time.
He looks so assured in the air. When you select players in any position, you’ve to ensure that they can master the basics of that position.
When a back-three player misses a few of those contestable kicks, it’s very noticeable.
Osborne calmly rose highest on a number of occasions last week and has given so much confidence around the full-back position.
He didn’t have a perfect game, he gave away a penalty and lost his bearings on the touchline from a Grant Williams kick.
The 22-year-old probably made two errors all game, while also providing a key incision for Conor Murray’s opening try and he dominated with his monstrous left boot.
Both Farrell and Osborne have really had the last laugh considering most of the pre-game chat was around this selection before the first Test.
Another position that was frustratingly misaligned in the depth chart was out-half.
He may have only shone for 20 minutes, but Ciarán Frawley (above) will come away from this tour with an enormous amount of credit in the bank.
The pressure is now firmly on Leo Cullen at Leinster to give the Skerries man a shot at leading his team and properly challenging Jack Crowley for the Test jersey.
He isn’t short of confidence and dragged Ireland back into a scoring position on two occasions in the closing quarter, taking both opportunities himself with dropgoals that could have given him nightmares from the Champions Cup final in May.
Three kicks in three minutes saw Frawley go from losing possession to winning the game. He is as resilient as he is classy.
Crowley will return home from the tour as a winner too.
The Munster back controlled Ireland for large parts of the two-Test tour.
He wasn’t without his errors, but what can we expect from a younger guy who is growing into a very senior role.
Crowley (below) showed his physicality throughout the two games, while having a cool head when in control of the team strategy.
He needs a Ciarán Frawley to challenge him if his game is to continue on this pathway.
Comfort is the enemy of greatness and both players should reach new heights after their summer break.
David Humphreys had Ronan O’Gara, O’Gara had Johnny Sexton.
It’s time now for Frawley and Crowley to battle it out for the jersey before Sam Prendergast makes his challenge.
Craig Casey will also have gained from the tour, getting the nod while Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out, before becoming unavailable for the final game through injury.
Two of the experienced players that reminded everyone of their strengths are Murray and James Ryan. Both played important roles in getting Ireland over the line, from the bench in the first tie and as starters in the second.
Unfortunately, for Ryan to shine, Farrell had to make the difficult decision to drop his captain, Peter O’Mahony.
The Munster veteran turns 35 in September and in a combative position, there will be decisions ahead for himself and Farrell. However, he possesses leadership and grit that isn’t always so abundant, which is clearly why Farrell thought he should captain this tour.
Dan Sheehan (below) is the one that will lose the most from this tour.
The reports are that he has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that commonly takes 9-12 months to get right.
The timing couldn’t be any worse for his expected surge at a Lions starting spot. It’s hard to see him getting adequate game time at the end of his recovery to make it on such a tour, however, the head coach is on his side, as is his outstanding ability, and it can’t be ruled out just yet.
The Lions tour is as honourable to a rugby player as it is a memorable experience. Let’s not forget the financial gain and career prospects. It’s a tough end to a long season for such an impactful player.
Another issue arising is that Ireland still haven’t taken a step forward in terms of loosehead prop succession.
The argument is that South Africa this time around might not have been the time to find Andrew Porter’s back-up but there’ll be plenty of time in the autumn and into 2025 to do that, yet it still remains one of the biggest gaps in this squad depth.
Anxiety surrounding the long season has been eased with the announcement of a development-focused tour next year.
Although many of the Irish players will be hopeful of making the Lions tour, fixtures against Romania and Georgia should put the focus firmly on bringing the next crop through.
A well-earned rest is on the cards before thoughts move to next season.
This Ireland team deserve their holiday and it couldn’t come at a better time.
That win in Durban will be remembered for quite some time and it’s another feather in the cap of Irish rugby under Farrell.
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