The World Rugby U20 Championship has a proven pedigree as a breeding ground for Test stars of the future, with close to 1,000 players using the competition as a stepping stone to higher honours since the first tournament was held in 2008.
Skipper Botturi, who led the team to two wins – including a victory away to France – in a fourth-place Six Nations finish, will now hope their ongoing inconsistency can be tackled.
We stand at the start of another huge week of international age-grade rugby, and you can watch it all live and for free on RugbyPass TV.
Australia felt hard done by in their round two loss to Ireland in Paarl because in the aftermath of their 10-30 defeat, Irish back-rower James McNabney was cited and banned for foul play that happened in the 35th minute that was missed by the officials in real time.
The race to become World Rugby U20 Championship 2024 winners will get underway in Cape Town this Saturday, and you can watch all the drama unfold on RugbyPass TV.