A huge crowd is expected at Bulawayo’s Hartfield Rugby ground on Saturday as Zimbabwe Senior men’s rugby team, the Sables and Simbas of Kenya clash in a Rugby Africa Gold Cup game.

Saturday’s game will mark the return of international rugby to Bulawayo after a six-year hiatus, as all games were being held in Harare.

Theo Weale, chairman of the local organising committee (LOC) for the Rugby Africa Gold Cup, is expecting a huge crowd at Hartsfield, which last played host to an international game in July 2011 when Zimbabwe beat Uganda 49-21 in a Victoria Cup game.

“People of Bulawayo have been longing for international rugby and this is the time to show that we have passionate fans in this part of the country. Let’s show people that rugby needs to be played at Hartsfield by coming in numbers and setting an electric atmosphere. As the LOC, we are confident that the people of Bulawayo and surrounding areas who love rugby will come in their numbers to cheer our Sables, who lost in Namibia last weekend,” said Weale.

The Sables returned from Namibia on Monday where they lost 26-31 to the hosts in Windhoek while Kenya won at home 45-25 against Senegal.

Zimbabwe are fourth on the table, with seven points from two games, while their opponents Kenya are second with 13 points after three matches.

Kenya hammered Zimbabwe 61-15 at the Police Grounds in Harare in 2016 in a disastrous campaign for the Sables in which they finished bottom of the table without a win.