The International Rugby Board has confirmed that Georgia will host the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2011 from May 24 to June 5.

It is the first time that the hosting rights to a major IRB tournament have been awarded to the Georgian Rugby Union and the selection underlines the outstanding progress that the Union has made in driving the development of the game throughout the country since the '07 Rugby World Cup.

The tournament format will follow the model that successfully delivered a compelling trophy in 2010. The eight participating teams will be split into two pools of four with two match venues in the capital Tbilisi hosting double-headers on May 24, May 28, June 1 and June 5.

Canada, Japan, Russia, Samoa, Uruguay, USA, Zimbabwe and hosts Georgia will all be looking to lift the coveted trophy and secure promotion to the IRB Junior World Championship in 2012.

"The IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy has grown to become a major fixture on the annual rugby calendar, providing the participating Unions with an invaluable competition and development platform," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"Yet the tournament is not all about exposure for the teams, it is also about taking a major international rugby tournament to new territories, to leave an administration legacy with the hosting union and to deliver a golden opportunity to grow the game.

"I am delighted that the Junior World Rugby Trophy 2011 will be hosted in Georgia and would like to thank the Georgian Rugby Union and the Georgian Government for their enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to hosting a tournament that will not just be successful on the pitch, but will leave a lasting legacy for growth and participation off it."

For Georgia, the awarding of the international tournament is a ground-breaking move and will deliver the platform for the sport to continue to grow - a trend that began with the senior national team's performances during the 2007 RWC in France which captured the hearts of the nation.

Last month Lapasset was in Georgia to open the IRB funded state-of-the-art National Academy, a centre that will oversee the development of future international stars, while the Georgian Government has committed £6 million in funding for the growth of Rugby across the country.

"These are certainly exciting times for Rugby in Georgia, which is enjoying unprecedented interest off the back of a tremendous Rugby World Cup 2007 and a successful Rugby World Cup 2011 qualifying campaign," added Lapasset.

"Hosting the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy next year will further accelerate development, administration and legacy programmes."

The venues, pools and match schedule will be confirmed in January 2011.

Italy won the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2010 and were promoted to the IRB Junior World Championship 2011 which they will host in the Veneto region.

The Azzurri have already given full international caps to players who won the title, including the exciting outside centre and captain Tommaso Benvenuti who made his full Test debut against Argentina in November.

Benvenuti joins an illustrious list of players and match officials who have graduated from both the IRB Junior World Championship and IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy to full international test status.