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Cape Town - The Junior Springboks have been drawn in the same pool as England for this year's World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.
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Chean Roux's charges will kick off their campaign with a match against the hosts on June 28, before taking on Fiji (July 3) and England (July 8).
The three pool winners and the best-placed runner up will contest the semi-finals.
South Africa finished third at the 2019 event when they beat hosts Argentina 41-16 in the bronze medal match.
France, who beat the Junior Springboks 20-7 in the semi-finals, beat Australia 24-23 in the final.
Roux spoke highly of their opposition and said: "We are preparing for another challenging World Rugby U20 Championship, and it will be that way from the outset, as the home crowd will be fully behind their team in the opening game.
"Italy and England are both U20 Six Nations regulars, while the Fijians are a physical bunch that always play with passion and grit.
"Given the small margins in this competition it will be important to win every game to advance to the semi-final, so we know what we are in for and we will prepare accordingly," Roux added.
Commenting on the tournament and Italy as the hosts, World Rugby chairperson Sir Bill Beaumont said: "Every year the World Rugby U20 Championship showcases the most promising young rugby players and we see year after year graduates from the competition succeeding at the highest level.
"Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan featured 228 players who initially represented their country in this tournament, and I invite all rugby fans to follow matches closely for the next rugby stars of tomorrow.
"Italy have proved incredible hosts in the past and we are confident rugby strongholds like Viadana, Calvisano, Verona and Parma will deliver the best possible stage for the tournament."
Pool A: France, Argentina, Ireland, Japan
Pool B: Australia, Wales, New Zealand, Georgia
Pool C: South Africa, England, Fiji, Italy
The pools and schedule have been announced for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, kicking off on 28 June.https://t.co/BMI6O1zGdW pic.twitter.com/pURpxnt2yx
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) January 14, 2020
