Adelaide will host its first ever rugby international in June when Australia 'A' will entertain France 'A' as part of the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series.

The game is one of three for Australia A this year, with the team to be largely made up of Vodafone Wallabies who have narrowly missed selection for the first Test against 1999 Rugby World Cup finalists, France.

The Australia A team that played the Lions last year included Vodafone Wallabies Graeme Bond, Nathan Grey, Scott Staniforth, Manuel Edmonds, Chris Whitaker, Phil Waugh, David Lyons, Justin Harrison, Tom Bowman, Rod Moore, Brendan Cannon, Cameron Blades and Patricio Noriega.

Television ratings suggest growing support for rugby in Adelaide, with a record 180,000 people tuning in to watch last year's Bledisloe Cup Test at Stadium Australia.

The match will be played on the hallowed cricketing turf of Adelaide Oval on Tuesday 18 June, giving South Australians the chance to enjoy an international match in their backyard for the very first time.

"There are thousands of rugby lovers in Adelaide who will jump at the chance to see this high quality match between the shadow Australian and French Test teams," Australian Rugby CEO John O'Neill said.

"The decision to take such a top-class match to Adelaide is based on the strong growth of rugby in the local market and our desire to expand the game throughout Australia.

"When we first started taking matches to Melbourne and Perth, there were some people who said we would not succeed.

"But when you look at how successfully those cities have adopted rugby, with our annual Test matches breaking records each year, there is every reason to believe that Adelaide will embrace the game with similar enthusiasm.

AUSTRALIA A FIXTURES

Sat 1 June, Australia A v Canada, Aussie Stadium, Sydney
Tues 18 June, Australia A v France A, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Tues 25 June, Australia A v France A, NorthPower Stadium, Gosford