SINGAPORE – Italy and Scotland’s historic international Test this Saturday at the National Stadium may be the first-ever Tier One rugby fixture to be held in Singapore and South-East Asia (SEA), but local rugby fans can expect more of such top-class games to be staged in the Republic in the near future.

Already, negotiations are under way for Singapore to host a test featuring teams from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres at the end of the year, according to Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) president Low Teo Ping.

The expected influx of top-class rugby matches into Singapore is part of SRU’s strategy to grow and promote the sport in the country and the region.

But despite the presence of the HSBC Rugby Sevens, as well as the Sunwolves’ annual three Super Rugby matches, Low acknowledged that the game’s popularity here still pales in comparison to that of other sports such as football and swimming.

Speaking at a press conference to promote the Italy-Scotland test, Low explained: “Rugby is not a new sport but unfortunately, it hasn’t found as much traction here as we’d like and so, it remains a sport that is unfamiliar with a good percentage of the population.

“By bringing in world-class teams to play test matches in Singapore, we hope to generate interest so that more people get involved (in rugby) and get excited about it.

“With the Rugby World Cup in 2019 set to be played in Japan, we also hope to establish Singapore as a stopover destination for teams to train and play before heading there.”

The immediate priority for Low and his team, however, will be to ensure that this Saturday’s test goes smoothly.

As an indication of how seriously this fixture is being taken, Scotland, ranked fifth in the world, and Italy (world No 13) are already in Singapore a full five days before the game, to get used to the weather.

Both teams are also well aware of their role in helping to grow the game in the region, and have promised to put on an exciting spectacle to thrill the fans.

Said Italy head coach Conor O’ Shea: “It’s an honour for us to be part of this historical fixture. The responsibility is always to represent your country in the best manner possible, but we also owe a responsibility to put on a show so that people will realise and understand what top-class international rugby is about.”

New Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, who will be leading the Scots for the first time this Saturday, added: “It’s exciting to be able to play in such a unique stadium and the fact that it’ll be Scotland’s first International there will make for a great occasion.

“We hope having two European teams playing here will inspire players, coaches and more youths to watch the game for the first time.

“And for those who are passionate about rugby, playing this match here will show them that Singapore is a country that is really embracing of rugby.”