Currie Cup semi delayed by swarm of bees

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — The first semifinal of South Africa's Currie Cup rugby competition was delayed after a swarm of bees descended on the pitch at Durban's ABSA Stadium.

Players from the Sharks and defending champions the Blue Bulls were seen swatting away the insects ahead of Saturday's match as they went through their final warmups before kickoff.

After a 20 minute delay, referee Marius Jonker took the players off the pitch because of concerns that some may be allergic to bee stings.

The game eventually kicked off 40 minutes late after ground staff placed small palm trees near the edge of the field to allow the bees to settle.

Security officials had attempted to forced the bees away from the pitch by letting off canisters of red smoke.