LONDON (Reuters) - The London Olympic Stadium will play host to its first rugby match when the Barbarians take on Samoa on Aug. 29 in a test event before the World Cup, organisers said on Thursday.
The 54,000-capacity venue, which was home to track and field events at the 2012 Games, will host five matches during the tournament in England and Wales which starts in September, including the bronze final.
Invitation side the Barbarians, coached by former Australia coach Robbie Deans, are celebrating their 125th anniversary throughout the year and will be expected to field a team of high profile international players not featuring at the World Cup.
For South Pacific Islanders Samoa, it will be a final warm-up match before their opening match of the tournament against the United States in Brighton three weeks later.
"It is a significant honour for the Barbarians to take part in the first rugby match at the Olympic Stadium," Barbarians' president Micky Steele-Bodger said in a statement.
"The match should be a great spectacle for supporters and we hope to light up the stadium with the Barbarians brand of rugby in our first match against Samoa."
The stadium hosts its first World Cup match when France take on Romania in Pool D on Sept. 23.