The referee and the stinging bees

Bees came to the Absa Stadium in Durban on Saturday just when the Currie Cup semifinal between the Sharks and the Blue Bulls was about to kick-off. This led to a delay in the kick-off of three-quarters of an hour with a referee in the middle to decide if and when the match could proceed.

It was a unique occasion in the 118 years of Currie Cup rugby.

Picture the referee – all psyched up and focused. Any Currie Cup match is a big match and a semifinal is so much bigger with so much riding on the game. It was a big occasion for the referee as well as everybody else involved.

Referee Marius Jonker from Richards Bay was ready.

He had done his preparation, physical and mental, specifically for these two teams in this match. He had supervised the toss of the coin and the inspection of boots and clothing. He had spoken to the teams to get their cooperation. He was ready.

The Blue Bulls ran out. The Sharks ran out. Then came Jonker and his assistants, Jonathan Kaplan and Christie du Preez, a top team of officials. And then the were bees swarming, a common occurrence at this time of the year but not on a rugby field.

They were mainly on the 10-metres line in faces of the Sharks’ side. The players reacted by waving their arms to encourage the invaders to leave. This may have agitated the bees further as some became aggressive, rare for bees.

A bee stung the referee. He assures that it was not a Blue Bull bee sent to get rid of him. The bee stung him on the little finger. Contrary to what was said he is not allergic but the sting was sore.

The only other ‘casualties’, it seems, were lock Stephen Sykes of the Sharks, one of the dancing girls who was allergic and taken to hospital for treatment, and some Blue Bulls supporters.

The referee, who was in constant touch with Tappe Henning of the IRB’s refereeing set-up, put the game on hold, as was his right and duty if there was danger to the players.

His particular worry was what could possibly happen if a a player was stung and was allergic. That was a risk. It was also a practical problem for a referee. If the player was taken off for treatment was that an injury? Was he a substitution? Would he be allowed back on?

In people who are allergic to bee stings, a sting may trigger a dangerous anaphylactic reaction that is potentially deadly.

The referee decided to wait. The crowd decided to do a Mexican Wave. The bees were upset and confused and headed for the flagposts which are bright red in colour.

The referee kept in touch with the managers of the teams every five minutes during the delay as the little bees drove the players to the changing rooms, big Bulls fleeing from little bees.

Jonker is an ex-policeman with contacts in the police force. He sent a request for smoke grenades. The policeman went around firing smoke at the bees who eventually agreed to vacate the stadium and leave it to the players,

The episode contributed to the occasion which certainly was memorable and did not detract form the performance of the Sharks who were much more of a threat to the Blue Bulls than the bees had been – the Sharks winning 16-12 in a hard-fought game.

When Marius Jonker blew the final whistle the player nearest him was Charl McLeod, the lively Sharks’ scrumhalf.

McLeod leapt at Jonker and embraced him in a joyful hug. It clearly was a reflex desire to hug someone – not because he believed that Jonker was part of the Sharks’ team or had played a part in the Sharks’ victory. In fact, a calmer McLeod apologised afterwards.

There have been some other incidents of rugby difficulty:

* In 1995, the Durban pitch was so under water that it was feared that the RWC semifinal match between SA and France would be cancelled. It was delayed. Various attempts were made to drive the water away, including a team of Zulu women with brooms. Again the decision to play or not rested with the referee, in this case Derek Bevan of Wales. He eventually let the match take place, South Africa won, and Louis Luyt, the president of SARFU, gave Bevan a controversial watch.

* In 2005, Italy played Fiji in Monza when the Stadio Brianteo was covered in snow. Tappe Henning refereed that one.

* Thick mist descended on Christchurch for the final of the 2006 Super 12 Final between the Crusaders and the Hurricanes. Jonathan Kaplan was the referee. He allowed the match to go ahead. The Crusaders won.

* In 2006, Fiji played Italy in Suva in a temperature of 51 degrees Celsius. At half-time, players and match official stripped and got into cold showers before dressing and going out for the second half. Fiji won.

* Perhaps the most dramatic of all was the Test between the USA and France in 1991. France played the USA in Colorado Springs and were leading when a thunderstorm broke out, in the state in the USA with the highest incidence of death from lightning. The lightning spectacularly hit the scoreboard and the referee stooped the game. The game was not resumed. Albert Adams was the referee.

There have been incidents of bee intervention in other sports:

* In October 2010, a Soccer World Cup qualifier between Mexico and El Salvador in the Azteca Stadium was stopped after three minutes when bees invaded the El Salvador goal and the game was stopped for six minutes while the bees were smoked out.

* In Kandy in 2007, a cricket Test between SriLanka and England was stopped for a while because of an invasion by a swarm of bees.