Keagan Mitchell
The Bees recorded the first points of the match when Luzuko Gqamlana went over for the try but scrumhalf Fikile Jeremiah missed the conversion.
The visitors, however, were in their opponents half for most of the first half and were rewarded with a penalty which Leonardo Marthinus slotted over. But it was Busy Bees that ended the half on a high with a converted try, going into the break 12-3.
Callies were the first to put points on the scoreboard in the second half when Marthinus went over for the try while fullback Raafiq Petersen slotted the conversion, taking the score to 12-10 and slotting over a penalty just minutes thereafter.
The rest of the half belonged to Busy Bees as they scored two tries and only conceded a penalty in the last quarter of the game with Petersen slotting it over.
Busy Bees coach Msutu Kewana said the victory was an all round team effort because the whole squad did what was expected of them.
“The players did well and I believe we can only get better as the season progresses. We did not depend on players in the starting 15 as the bench made an impact when they came on. However, I believe we can still improve on our set pieces,” he said.
The Bees are experiencing one of their best seasons having won five and drawn one. They are in third place on 25 points and the only unbeaten team in the City League.
Both top of the log Gardens-Tech and second placed Manenberg Rangers have lost three and two games respectively and have played more games than Busy Bees.
Kewana believes the season is going according to plan and credit should go to the background staff such as former Stormers and Springbok wing Jongi Nokwe and Dr Simphiwe Mdingi, who has a surgery practice in Langa.
“They have played a great role on and off field. The only game where we had a bit of a hiccup was against Silvertree where we played out to a 28-all draw. The game could have gone anyway and was a wake up call for us because they played in Super League C (SLC) last year,” he said.
Kewana said his side is on the right track and if they keep on playing with a positive mindset and work on their mistakes then he sees no reason why they can’t gain promotion to Super League C.
But before that they first have to end in the top three of the City League and then play in the promotion league which consists of the top three sides in the City, Northern and Southern league. The top three sides in the promotion league will gain automatic promotion to SLC.
Last year Busy Bees just missed out on a spot in SLC after they finished fourth in the promotion league.
Meanwhile, Caledonian Roses coach Peter Williams said his side played good attacking rugby but their execution was not good enough on the day.
“Our handling was not up to standard today and there were a few chances that we could have turned into points. Our defence did not come into play as we wanted it to be and at the end of the day it is all about urgency and Busy Bees wanted it more.
“Credit should go to them as upfront they were better and took their chances which was the difference,” he said.
* In other action, Khayelitsha’s Blue Jet beat Strand United 32-15 in a Super League C encounter at Khayelitsha Stadium.
* Elsewhere, Tygerberg RFC’s unbeaten run in this year’s Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) Super League A season came to an end when they went down 30-20 against fellow table-toppers False Bay RFC, in Constantia, at the weekend.
The result saw Tygerberg slip to third place, with 27 points, two behind second-placed Hamilton and seven behind False Bay.
False Bay dominated most of the second half but, to their credit, Tygerberg didn’t show any signs of giving up.
They pushed their opponents all the way. However, that was not enough, as the hosts emerged 30-20 winners. Alroy Brandt scored two tries for Tygerberg while Dale Wilson crossed the line once. Brandt also converted one of the tries while Stewart Jacobs scored a penalty.
* UWC scored their first win of the Super League A competition with a surprisingly easy 29-14 win over the Ikeys at Groote Schuur. The visitors outscored the home side by four tries to two and picked up a valuable bonus point in the process.