Cape Town - The Junior Springboks have been drawn in Pool C with France, Argentina and Japan for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.
The event will be hosted in Manchester, England, from June 7 to 25.
Coach Dawie Theron’s team, who finished third in the 2015 tournament in Italy, will kick off their campaign against Japan on June 7 at the Academy Stadium, before taking on Argentina on June 11 at the AJ Bell Stadium, and France on June 15 back at the Academy Stadium.
The South Africans defeated France 31-18 in the bronze playoff last year to secure their third-place finish in the tournament.
Defending champions New Zealand will meet Georgia, Ireland and Wales in the round-robin stages, while 2015 runners-up England will go up against Australia, Scotland and Italy.
The semi-finals will be contested on Monday, June 20, while the last round of matches, which includes with the eagerly-anticipated final, will be played on Saturday, June 25.
The Junior Springboks’ preparation for the tournament will begin next week in Cape Town where a large group of 56 hopefuls will gather next Tuesday evening to attend a training camp, which will be followed by trials at the City Park Stadium in Crawford next Friday.
Junior Springboks pool fixtures, World Rugby Under-20 Championship (SA time):
Tuesday, June 7: South Africa v Japan, Academy Stadium - 16:15
Saturday, June 11: South Africa v Argentina, AJ Bell Stadium - 19:00
Wednesday, June 15: South Africa v France, Academy Stadium - 20:45