Zim to host Kenya at Hartsfield

Mehluli Sibanda in Bulawayo
RUGBY lovers in Bulawayo are in for a treat when Zimbabwe’s Sables clash with Kenya’s Simbas in a Victoria Cup fixture at Hartsfield on Saturday.

Zimbabwe Rugby Union president Aaron Jani confirmed the development.

Jani said this will be one of the biggest matches of the year, adding that Hartsfield is the traditional home of Zimbabwean rugby.

“We are very excited to be hosting one of the biggest international games at Hartsfield, the traditional home of Zimbabwe rugby. It’s always a pleasure to be in Bulawayo, the crowds are exciting and always support rugby. We had to give Bulawayo fans something to smile about,’’ he said. “It is more costly to host games in Bulawayo because of the additional transport costs from Harare to Bulawayo. Most people take flights that land in Harare.”

Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Board chairman Delvin Ismail is excited about the Bulawayo fixture and hopes that fans will turn out in their numbers.

“It’s a big thing for Bulawayo to host the Sables and the Simbas. lt’s exciting for me, it’s my first game as chairman. We are very excited that we got this opportunity to host this game. We are hoping the people of Bulawayo will come to watch the national team playing against Kenya, we need everyone’s support,’’ Ismail said.

Both teams are currently away and yesterday they were in action at the Victoria Cup tournament.

The Brendan Dawson coached Sables met Uganda in Kampala while the Simbas took on Zambia in Kitwe.

Both teams will arrive in Zimbabwe tomorrow.

The Sables will be based at Falcon College in Esigodini. They will have their training sessions there before coming to fine tune their game at the match venue on Friday.

Kenya will be in Bulawayo throughout the week.

Ismail indicated that some sponsors are ensuring that Hartsfield is in good condition for Saturday’s fixture.

“There are some corporate partners who have come to support the game. The sponsors are assisting us to upgrade Hartsfield to be in better shape for the big clash,’’ said Ismail.

In the build up to the Saturday match, Milton will be taking on Midlands Christian College.

Zimbabwe last took on Kenya at Hartsfield in July 2017 and lost 22-41.

In 2018, Kenya beat Zimbabwe 45-36 in Nairobi.