A pair of Bay of Plenty rugby players will continue their push towards representing New Zealand on the Under-20 World Cup stage later this year.

Aidan Ross and Dan Hollinshead have both been included to take part in this week's trial camp at the Massey University Sport and Rugby Institute, which run from tomorrow until Monday.

Bay of Plenty first five Dan Hollinshead during a 2014 ITM Cup match at ASB Baypark. Photo: Tracy Hardy

The pair are part of this year's preparations for the 2015 Junior World Championships, which began with 51 players selected to attend the New Zealand Under-20s camp late last year.

The Championships, to be held in June, will be theeighth annual event and will be hosted by Italy for the second time.

A total of 12 nations will play in the tournament, held in Parma, Viadana, Calvisano and host city for the final match Cremona.

England head into the tournament as defending champions after they successfully defended their title in the 2014 tournament held in New Zealand.

Dubbed the ‘Baby Blacks', New Zealand is facing a lean stretch in recent years, and have gone three years without a title, after winning the event between 2008 and 2011.

And the team will be keen to get back to winning ways after being outmuscled by sizeable English and South African teams in recent years.

They were knocked out by South Africa in last year's semi-final 25-32 before taking out Ireland 45-23 in the play-off for third place.

Hollinshead will be looking to cement a spot as one of this year's first fives after a strong ITM Cup season with the Steamers in 2014, making the progression from Tauranga Boys' College to provincial rugby with relative ease.

Ross, a loosehead prop and Hollinshead's Te Puke teammate, captained the Bay of Plenty Under-19 side at last year's Jock Hobbs National Tournament in Taupo.

The training camp excludes a number of Super Rugby players who will return to the fold come competition time, including Chiefs pairing Damien Mckenzie and Anton Leniert-Brown, Blues flanker Blake Gibson and wing Tevita Li.

The squad includes two members of the successful New Zealand Schools Team in Rieko Ioane and Shaun Stevenson.

Forwards: Isileli Tu'ungafasi, Liam Polwart, Jamie Lane, Mitchell Karpik, Akira Ioane (Auckland), Morgan Poi, James Blackwell, Teariki Ben-Nicholas (Wellington), Aidan Ross (Bay of Plenty), Tom Hill, Blair Princep, Mitchell Dunshea, Hamish Dalzell, Josh Goodhue, Sam Godwin (Canterbury), Ricky Riccitelli, Dillon Hunt, Alex Fitzgerald (Otago), Travis Taylor (Manawatu), Steven Misa, Atunaisa Moli, Tau Koloamatangi, Mitchell Jacobson, Joshua Dowsing (Waikato), Ethan Blackadder (Tasman).

Backs: Harrison Levien, Jason Thomasen, Shaun Stevenson, Isaac Te Tamaki, Jordon Trainor (Waikato), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Taranaki), Luke Campbell, Wes Goosen (Wellington), Sam Malcolm (Manawatu), Dan Hollinshead (Bay of Plenty), Mitchell Hunt, Tinoai Faine, Pryor Collier (Auckland), Fletcher Smith, Gavin Stark (Otago), Jonathan Faauli, Jack Goodhue, George Bridge, Luteru Laulala, Nathaniel Apa (Canterbury), Jonah Lowe (Hawke's Bay).