SA Rugby has sent condolences and offered support to French rugby and the family of 17-year-old player Medhi Narjissi, who was swept out to sea during a water recovery session at Cape Point on Wednesday.
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The young player was a member of the French Under-18 team which is in South Africa to contest a tournament with the hosts, England, Ireland and Georgia. Narjissi was on an outing with the squad when incident occurred.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and the French rugby community for the tragic loss of Medhi,” said Mr Mark Alexander, president of the South African Rugby Union.
“We cannot begin to comprehend the sorrow the family must be feeling at this moment. Please know that the entire rugby fraternity stands with you in mourning the loss of Medhi. This devastating news has been felt deeply across the rugby community here in South Africa and around the world.”
Mr Alexander said that SA Rugby had offered every support it could to the French team and Mehdi’s family, who are en route to South Africa.
The French Rugby Federation announced on Wednesday that Mehdi was swept away by a wave as he and his team-mates were swimming at the Cape of Good Hope at around 16h00.
Emergency services were mobilised to conduct a search and rescue operation without success throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The impact on the scheduling of the tournament – which kicks off at Stellenberg High School in Cape Town on Monday – has not been determined.