Supporters will then have the chance to see the team in action in Edinburgh, as they return to the capital to take on Sale Sharks on Saturday 8 September. This will be third consecutive summer that the two sides have met. The match will be played at one of the city's club grounds due to the Rugby World Cup at Murrayfield. The precise venue and kick-off time have yet to be confirmed.

Lynn Howells said: "The matches against Bath and Sale give the new squad a great opportunity to play against Guinness premiership teams. It's good to play against sides of that quality during what is an important part of our preparations building up to the new season.

"Bath will be a step-up from the fixture we'll play during our camp in Milan the week before and will test how far we've moved in training. We can then identify strengths and weaknesses and see where we need to improve against Sale Sharks before beginning our Magners League campaign."

Information about tickets for the game against Sale Sharks will be available soon from the webstore on www.edinburghrugby.com. Tickets for the Bath match will be on sale at www.bathrugby.com or at 0871 721 1865 from Monday 18 June. Please note that capacity will be limited at the Recreation Ground as the Helphire Stand will still be under construction.

Edinburgh membership packages are available. Existing season ticket holders wishing to retain their current reserved seat have until the close of business on Friday 29 June to purchase their season ticket or membership package. After that, all unsold seats will be released and put on general sale.