A tragic occurrence in South Africa has caused an upcoming match in the U18 International Series to be cancelled, with the fixture between England and France no longer going ahead. The decision comes after France U18s player Medhi Narjissi has gone missing, with reports stating that he had been caught in a rip tide whilst swimming off the beach near Cape Town.
The latest reports state that the young rugby talent was ‘swept out to sea’, with a mass search underway off the Cape of Good Hope. The France U18s side have understandably withdrawn from participating in the U18 International Series, with the fixture against England cancelled. A statement from the RFU expressed their support for Narjissi’s freinds and family, and confirmed the updated fixture list for the series.
“Everyone’s thoughts at England Rugby are with Medhi Narjissi’s family, friends and colleagues at an extremely difficult time.”
“England Rugby can confirm the U18 Men side will play Georgia on Friday (16th) in a revised schedule following on from France’s withdrawal from the International Series. The fixture will kick off at the later time of 12:30 BST at Paarl Gimnasium, and will be streamed live on SuperSport Schools.
The French Rugby Federation (FFR) issued a statement last week, and confirmed that the local emergency services have been deployed in South Africa, (three days ago) with the search ongoing to find the missing 17-year-old.
“The FFR has learned with great emotion that Medhi Narjissi, Stade Toulouse player, who travelled to South Africa to compete in the International Series with the French men’s under-18 team, has disappeared.” The statement read.
“This Wednesday, around 4pm, he was swept away by a wave, while he and his teammates were swimming in the sea, at the Cape of Good Hope.”
“Pending ongoing research, the French Rugby Federation has approached Medhi’s family and is supporting the U18 team and its supervisors on site, where a psychological unit has been set up.”
England U18 Men’s 2024 International Series fixtures
Monday 12th August – England vs. Ireland – 12:30 BST kick-off – Stellenberg High School
Friday 16th August – England vs. Georgia – 12:30 BST kick-off – Paarl Gimnasium
Tuesday 20th August – South Africa vs. England – 12:30 BST kick-off – Paarl Boys’ High School