Queensland Reds flyhalf Harry McLaughlin-Phillips returns to South Africa hunting for a semi-final spot as the Australia U20s prepare for the Junior World Championships.

McLaughlin-Phillips is one of several returning players for the competition, which will begin Sunday morning (AEST) against Georgia in Cape Town.

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The Australians finished the 2023 event in fifth after missing the semi-finals following a draw to England, where the playmaker levelled the scores before the English held on to secure their spot in the final four.

“It’s really exciting to head back,” he told Rugby.com.au

“It’s a very different crew and everyone’s really close and connected so excited to head over and hopefully do a bit better than we did last year

“I think we’ve probably had a bit more preparation this year with the Rugby Championship and probably spent more time together as a group off the field so we’re excited to see how can we do over there.”

McLaughlin-Phillips returns as one of the more experienced players in the squad after a strong debut season with the Queensland Reds.

He featured in seven games in Super Rugby Pacific, including coming up with the game-winning turnover against the Chiefs.

“It’s been an awesome experience being able to debut and play a few games the year,” McLaughlin-Phillips said.

“It’s given me the chance to grow my game and learn different things and how to control a team a bit better.”

McLaughlin-Phillips missed the first two games of the Rugby Championship with the Reds before returning for the decider against the Kiwis.

“There’s a lot of learnings we took from that game,” he added.

“We definitely had the game there for us and we just lost in the last 15-20 minutes.

“Being able to close out opportunities, especially in at the a-zone has been something that we’ve really focused on and we’re really working towards getting better.”