The Sunday News
KYROS Sports, the organisers of the high profile friendly match pitting South African Super Rugby franchises Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs say they opted to host the match at the National Sports Stadium because it had sufficient grass suitable for the match.
The fixture, dubbed the Lafarge Zimbabwe Champions Cup, is scheduled for 6 February and will be handled by experienced South African referee Jaco Peyper. Kisset Chirengende, the Kyros Sports founder and director said they opted for the National Sports Stadium because the facility and the Harare Sports Club cricket field had the sufficient grass suitable for the match.
With no positive feedback being obtained from Zimbabwe Cricket who have the lease for the HSC cricket field, the organisers settled for NSS which last hosted a rugby match in 1998 when Zimbabwe took on Wales.
The cheapest ticket for the match, according to Chirengende is $10 for rest of the ground, $25 for VIP and $50 for a corporate ticket. A crowd of between 15 000 to 20 000 is anticipated by those behind the encounter.
“We are expecting a crowd of between 15 000 to 20 000. We chose the National Sports Stadium because that and the cricket field were the only options that had adequate turf and we did not get joy from Zimbabwe Cricket. The cheapest ticket is $10, $25 for VIP and $50 corporate,’’ said Chirengende, who could not confirm whether television broadcasting rights have been sold for the match.
The Bulls, three time Super Rugby champions, will hold their pre-season camp in Victoria Falls from 29 January before they travel to Harare for the clash against the Cheetahs. Both teams are expected to carry out a number of coaching clinics, fan signing activities with the match activation dinner on the eve of the fixture.
Zimbabwe Rugby Union, though not directly involved have already given the match a seal of approval as they believe it will play a massive part in re-invigorating interest in the game in the country.
With the Super Rugby season due to start at the end of February, the quality of the turf was always going to play a huge part in coming up with the venue as the two teams cannot take a risk with their players by allowing them to play on a bumpy surface.
