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Shingi Mugabe Sports Reporter
THE Vodacom Blue Bulls yesterday took time off their pre-season training routine to play golf at Borrowdale Brooke ahead of their big showdown against the Toyota Cheetahs expected to attract a huge crowd at the National Sports Stadium tomorrow.

Dubbed the Lafarge Zimbabwe Champions Cup, it’s the first pre-season match for the Super Rugby rivals as they prepare for the new season and indications are that it’s likely to attract thousands of the game’s followers before a party atmosphere at the giant stadium.

Some analysts even believe that there could be a full-house 60 000 crowd at the giant stadium with fans expected to arrive from South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia for this super clash.

Bulls’ forwards coach Antione Lenard says they have an exciting side.

“We have a young side and exciting squad and so we are looking forward to playing the game on Saturday, it would be our first game in the last few months,” said Lenard.

“You have to understand that this is pre-season and we hope to avoid injuries and we will hope to see some of the things, which we have been working on, being implemented on the pitch. “We just have to see how it goes on Saturday.

“I think the biggest challenge of our franchise is the new management, we work well as a management, we are young, they say we are inexperienced but let’s just see how it goes.”

Bulls’ Andrea Strauss said they had prepared well for tomorrow’s game.

“We had a good week of preparations and training and we are just enjoying our day off,” he said.

“We are looking forward to a very tough game, we really want to see if our structures have come together after everything we put in place.

“We have a lot of new youngsters in our squad and we have a new management team.

“It’s likely to be a very good game.”

Earlier this week, Bulls coach, Nollis Marais, said his men had been humbled by their Zimbabwean experience which also saw them visiting the Victoria Falls and holding a number of coaching clinics.

“I am humbled by this experience,” he said. “Zimbabwe is a lovely country, it has beautiful people and I also love the weather although it’s a bit hot though okay. “The people are just amazing, we spent some time holding coaching clinics and getting to play with the kids and groups of talented boys which is an experience altogether. “Zimbabwe has a lot of raw talent that needs time to be developed and groomed into the right players but the boys are great to watch and we are enjoying our time here. “It’s going to be a tough match and we will just go into the match hoping for the best.”