Gregor Townsend welcomes four huge Rugby World Cup warm-ups for Scotland

Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend believes four Test matches this summer will provide “invaluable experience” in preparation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Three of the games will take place at BT Murrayfield, starting with the visit of Italy on Saturday, July 29 before the Scots welcome France to Edinburgh a week later.

Scotland will travel to face the World Cup hosts on Saturday, August 12 with the venue to be confirmed. They will take on Georgia at Murrayfield on Saturday, August 26, with kick-off times for all games also still to be confirmed.

Townsend said: “2023 is a huge year for our national team and after the Guinness Six Nations our focus will quickly turn to the Rugby World Cup.

“All four fixtures will provide invaluable experiences in our preparation for the tournament.

“Having the opportunity to play at home on three occasions before we depart will enable our players to feel the backing of our supporters ahead of setting off for the World Cup.

“The match against France away from home will be very important as we are going to spend time at our training base for the World Cup in Nice prior to the match and replicate the schedule our players will experience during the tournament itself.”

The Rugby World Cup will take place between September 8 and October 28 with Scotland drawn in Pool B alongside defending world champions South Africa, Ireland, Tonga and Romania.