Last year was bad. Not quite the unmitigated disaster of the Springboks' three record defeats of 2002 but it helped confirm Allister Coetzee and his team's annus horribilis.
As much as the Springboks have tried to steer conversation away from last year, judging their latest European Odyssey cannot be done without considering last year's horrors.
The prism through which we watch sport in South Africa doesn't allow us to view things in isolation.
There's forever room to obfuscate.
Last year's tour, and what preceded it put Coetzee on the back foot. To compound matters, they took an early body blow here.
If in the build-up to the last test against Wales the talk was of leaving a lingering memory as they go into the off season, the first test of this tour threatened to overshadow whatever followed.
Not only were the Springboks well short of Ireland's determined intensity, they were tactically naïve, but worse still, they seemed to lack ambition.
"The Irish were too good for us on the night," Coetzee recalled a cold evening for Springbok rugby.
"They played an excellent kicking game. We learnt from that and pulled through against France."
Though they did well to hang on to a victory, thus earning themselves the right to circle around the Arc de Triomphe four times, one has to accept that France are a desperately poor test team at the moment.
Japan provided a bit more context when they drew with the Tricolores last weekend.
Though it was only the Boks' second away win under Coetzee, there was no reason to pop Champagne.
Losing two members of the coaching staff ahead of the clash was potentially deeply unsettling.
It meant wider responsibility for those who remained but the Springboks can be thankful they played against weak opposition.
"Against Italy we had a tough game in tough conditions. We were clinical and our set-pieces were outstanding. We finished our opportunities," Coetzee reflected briefly on the team's 35-6 win in testing conditions in Padua.
If there is one regret, and it is one Coetzee is unlikely to air publicly, it is his failure to make wider use of the pool of resources that travelled to Europe.
Flyhalf Curwin Bosch failed to crack the nod on tour. His time will surely come.
Wing Raymond Rhule too was kept on the periphery. Scrumhalf Louis Schreuder and centre Lukhanyo Am, however, were named on the bench for the last test.
"You'd like to know whether these guys are good enough to play at this level," said Coetzee before offering his reasoning. "Once you get your first loss on the tour it puts you on the back foot."
He made limited use of his overseas resources.
Injury to Coenie Oosthuizen opened the door for Duane Vermeulen and experience was quickly apparent. "We only had Duane and Francois Louw and I have to say they made their mark and slotted in nicely."Elsewhere there was a rare start for hooker Bongi Mbonambi, a test he passed with flying colours.
Packing down on the side of the scrum, Pieter-Steph du Toit underlined his versatility and his potential of becoming a Springbok great.
Tighthead prop Wilco Louw too can in time prove as difficult to dislodge from the team, while Steven Kitshoff is breathing heavier down Tendai Mtawarira's back.
The flyhalf debate is by no means settled but between Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies, long-held suspicions were reinforced.
Pollard returned in better shape than when he left. As for the coach, he isn't sure what awaits him back home.
He gave himself a pass mark. "There is massive progress compared to where we were this time last year.
"I'm comfortable the players have grown this year and that there is a lot more cohesion," he said on the eve of the Wales test.
Eben Etzebeth, the team's taciturn captain, nodded approvingly when it was suggested to him that he looks more relaxed in the role.
"It's been a good year for me," he said. "I enjoyed working with Allister. He's an amazing coach. It's been a humbling experience."..