Benetton's Stadio di Monigo in Treviso will host the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup ‘North v South’ final on June 19.
After failing to win a game in the regular PRO14 season, the Italian club is in pole position to reach the inaugural final against South African opposition, with a kick-off time still to be confirmed.
The northern representative shall be the team who finishes first in the table among the 12 teams in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup while the southern representative shall be the side who ranks first in the Rainbow Cup SA competition.
Benetton face a tough test at home to Connacht tomorrow in their bid to retain top spot, with the westerners among the sides chasing.
A maximum of 1,000 should be admitted under current Italian regulations. The game will be available live across existing broadcasters in the tournament’s core territories and international markets.
Due to Ireland's current travel restrictions and quarantine demands, playing the decider in this country was a non-runner.
Martin Anayi, CEO of PRO14 Rugby, said: “We are incredibly grateful to our friends and colleagues in Italian rugby for their role in creating this opportunity to host the North v South Rainbow Cup final.
“In a very short space of time we have been able to find a terrific way to tie the two tournaments together as originally envisaged and provide a glimpse of the future as the top team from the existing Guinness PRO14 meets the best that South Africa has to offer.
“When the cross-hemisphere fixtures were removed from the original Rainbow Cup schedule due to travel restrictions our disappointment was matched by our clubs, their fans and our broadcasters.
"However, our team has worked hard to reconfigure the competition with this historic final and we can now deliver on the unique excitement that the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup originally promised.
"Once again, we offer our thanks to everyone in Italy and the FIR involved in making this possibility a reality and we look forward to what will be a truly unique occasion in the history of our league.”
Marzio Innocenti, FIR President, said: “To host the Rainbow Cup Final in our country is a huge recognition of the big efforts we put into restarting Italian rugby safely, and shows how PRO14 Rugby is confident in what Italian rugby is capable of achieving on and off the playing field.
"We have developed a sound and trusted relationship with PRO14’s governance, and it is crucial to keep on developing both the competition and Italian rugby in the years to come.
“We are thrilled to host the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final in Treviso and that this game will see the very best that the Northern and Southern hemisphere has to offer as the Springboks prepare themselves ahead of their British and Irish Lions series.
"We look forward to working together in the next weeks to deliver, alongside PRO14 and Benetton Rugby, the best possible event for such a terrific rugby clash for both hemispheres."
