Representatives of World Rugby and the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) were present at the Italy's national rugby stadium for the official launch, with the country set to stage the 12-team tournament in the cities of Calvisano, Parma and Viadana, with the final being held in Cremona.

England will be aiming to claim a third successive triumph at the annual tournament, whilst Italy will be hosting for the second time after staging the 2011 edition.

"With 2015 now well underway, the excitement is building for the world's best under-20 players as they prepare for the World Rugby Under-20 Championship," said Bernard Lapasset, World Rugby chairman.

"As we saw in 2011, Italy is a great place to stage this tournament and I know the FIR is fully committed to putting on a fantastic show and making it an event to remember for players, spectators, sponsors and viewers.

"We look at this tournament as a finishing school for the future stars of world rugby as they learn about competing in a high-intensity, highly pressured, elite rugby environment.

"For many of them it will be the first time they have been exposed to the glare of the media and, crucially, they will also receive education on issues facing the game as a whole, such as anti-doping and integrity."

Previous graduates from the Under-20 World Championship have included Australia's Quade Cooper, England's George Ford, Wales captain Sam Warburton and New Zealand's 2011 World Cup winner Aaron Cruden.



Additionally 10 of Italy's 23-man squad for their Six Nations match tomorrow against Ireland have competed at either the Under-20 Championships or its sister tournament, the World Rugby Under-20 trophy, one of the Italian graduates, centre Luca Morisi is an ambassador for the June tournament.

"We're thrilled to host the future stars of international rugby in our country in June," said FIR President Alfredo Gavazzi.

"The 2011 edition was a successful one and we're confident we'll deliver a memorable World Rugby Under-20 Championship later in the year that is full of passion and great rugby."

The tournament is set to be held from June 2 to 20 with New Zealand aiming to extend their record as the team to have won the competition the most, having won the first four editions from 2008 until 2011.

The 2013 and 2014 editions of the tournament were broadcast and streamed to a record 180 territories.

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