South Africa hosted the tournament in 2012, but the hosts got off to a bad start, losing 19–23 to Ireland in their first match. However, they recovered to beat Italy 52–3 and previously-unbeaten England 28–15 to finish top of the log. They easily dispatched Argentina in the semi-final, winning 35–3, before beating New Zealand 22–16 in the final in Cape Town, winning the competition for the first time and ending the latter's four-year reign as champions.