Mills came off the bench as England U20s narrowly lost to the Baby Blacks 33-22 in Italy, and as part of the U20s set-up for the second straight year, the 19-year-old admits that defeat is still at the forefront of his mind.

The Baby Blacks have won every edition of the JWC since it came into existence four years ago, but with England finishing runners-up on three occasions, Mills is desperate for them to finally break their duck in South Africa next summer.

He said: “For all the boys who were here last year and lost to New Zealand, I know it’s a long way away but you’ve already got your mind on that World Cup final, we’re not thinking about anything else.

“There’s a lot of revenge to be had so hopefully we’ll get the chance to win it this time.

“We had the opportunities but it was just a bit disappointing that we couldn’t do it. It would have been a good finish to a really good year, and we had a good group of lads.

“You can see a lot of them are starting for their Premiership first teams now.

“Last year was good obviously and we had a very good side, but it’s a different challenge every year. We’ll be up against very good sides, we’ve lost players and we’ve gained players so will all the other sides. We’ll just have to do the same as last year.”

One of 11 members of last season’s squad who are still eligible, Mills will have the chance to reunite with Wasps starlet Elliot Daly with whom he impressed during last year’s Grand Slam.

And with the youngest player at last year’s tournament George Ford also back in the squad at fly-half, Mills is hopeful that familiarity will serve England well.

He added: “We’ve got nearly a whole backline and a good few forwards from last year as well as all the new boys coming so we’re feeling good.

“I enjoy playing with Elliot Daly, it’s great to play alongside him and he’s doing really well for Wasps. It’s also great to play with Fordie, he reads the game so well. I’ve played with him a lot, at U18s, and U20s so we know each other well.”