THE City of Kings and Queens has stepped up its preparations to host the Rugby Africa Gold Cup match between Zimbabwe and Kenya at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds on July 22.

A six-member Local Organising Committee was set up by the Zimbabwe Rugby Union to oversee the Sables home fixture.

This will be Zimbabwe’s first match in Bulawayo since 2011 when they hosted Uganda.

In the 2017 Rugby Africa Gold Cup, the Sables are battling it out against Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Uganda and Senegal.

This Saturday, the Sables are away in Windhoek where they are set to face Namibia at the Hage Geingob Stadium.

Zimbabwe will then return home to face Kenya next week at Hartsfield in a match that will be curtain raised by Sables women against their Botswana counterparts.

Local schools in Churchill, Falcon, Petra, Gifford, Milton, Plumtree and Northlea will also warm the stage for the two international matches.

“Our local rugby fans are in for a treat of international rugby when the Sables take on Kenya on 22 July 2017 at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds in Bulawayo,” LOC chairman Theo Weale said.

Other LOC members are Martin Shone, Gugulethu Ncube, Gilbert Nyamutsamba, Simbarashe Dangah and Busani Ncube.

“The L.O.C. members have vast years of rugby and administrative experience, together with their sub committees, they are working flat out to make the 22nd July 2017 a memorable day of Zimbabwean rugby history in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Rugby Union and the Bulawayo Central Rugby Football Board.

“They will be an exciting showcase of local schoolboys rugby matches and the main curtain raiser for the day will be Zimbabwe A versus Botswana,” Weale said.

Sables’ Rugby Africa Gold Cup fixtures

Saturday        Namibia         v          Zimbabwe     (Windhoek)

July 22           Zimbabwe     v          Kenya             (Bulawayo)

July 29           Zimbabwe     v          Tunisia          (Harare)

August 5        Uganda          v          Zimbabwe     (Kampala)

Sables’ squad for Namibia Test

Denford Mutamangira (cpt), Tolerance Zishe, Lawrence Cleminson, Fortune Chipendu, Brian Nyaude, Jacques Leitao, Connor Pritchard, Njabulo Ndhlovu, Hilton Mudariki, Tichafara Makwanya, Stephan Hunduza, Daniel Capsopoulos, Gavin Nyawata, Takudzwa Kumadiro, Tadius Hwata, David Makanda, Irvine Nduwa, Graham Cochrane, Andrew Rose, Takudzwa Mandiwanza, Ngoni Chibuwe, Scott Jones and Tinashe Gwisai.