The “Artemio Franchi” Stadium in Florence will host the home soil inauguration of Conor O’Shea’s team, who will play against Georgia in the opening Cattolica Test Match. It will be the first game in the long season leading to the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan. The announcement was made this morning during a press conference held by FIR and Cattolica Assicurazioni in the Tuscan city, where Italian rugby debuts on Saturday 10 November (watch the game live at 10:00 on DMAX channel 52). A game – hotly anticipated by the Italian team – against the Caucasian team who have climbed the World Rugby Rankings over the years and now boast a strong international standing. Upcoming matches will see the Italian national team take on Australia on 17 November (Padua), then New Zealand on 24 November (Rome).

Emanuela Vecchiet, Director of Communications and Institutional Relations for the Cattolica Assicurazioni Group, stated: “The match against Georgia marks the start of Cattolica Test Match. We hope it will be the beginning of a highly satisfying journey for the entire rugby movement. We are happy to be joining the national team’s athletes on the pitch, when, for the first time in Italy, they will wear the Cattolica logo on their shirts. We look forward to sharing the beauty of the game with fans and Florentine citizens. This much-awaited match brings even more charm to a city, which, thanks to its history, culture and tradition, has a natural international vocation.”