The home of St Johnstone FC will stage the match on February 22, which will see the new management team of Sean Lineen and Andy Robinson in tandem on home soil for the first time.

The Glasgow-Edinburgh coaching axis will make its debut against Italy A on the same weekend as the RBS 6 Nations begins.

And the increasing strength in depth of the Scottish game means several players who are on the fringes of Frank Hadden's first XV may well play for what is likely to be a very strong A team.

In the back row, for example, Glasgow stars Johnnie Beattie and John Barclay might struggle for game time in the RBS 6 Nations and so Lineen and Robinson may be handed their considerable talents for the A side.

McDiarmid Park has proved a happy hunting ground for Scottish sides in the past with the full team running up record after record against Japan in one of the few highlights of Matt Williams' tenure.

In the 100-8 victory in 2004 Chris Paterson scored three tries, 11 conversions and a penalty in front of a delighted Perth public.