The French U18 team have decided to withdraw from the U18 International Series following the tragic event earlier this week when one of their players, Medhi Narjissi, was swept out to sea during a recovery session at Cape Point.
The annual U18 series in South Africa is scheduled to start on Monday in Cape Town. The French squad returned home on Friday evening.
The schedule for the series has been revised following the withdrawal of France, with each round consisting of two matches which ensures that none of the remaining travelling teams’ fixtures are affected.
The first round kicks off at Stellenberg High School in Cape Town on Monday, with the SA U18 clash with France cancelled, while the SA U18 ‘A’ team’s three matches were reduced to one, against Georgia.
Georgia, who were originally scheduled to play the SA U18 ‘A’-side twice and France once, will now face England in their second match on Friday 16 August, and they will play Ireland on Tuesday, 20 August on the last of the three match days.
Mr Mark Alexander, president of the South African Rugby Union, earlier this week sent a message of condolences to the Narjissi family and the French rugby community following the tragic events a few days ago.
Revised fixtures for the Under-18 International Series:
Monday, 12 August (Stellenberg HS)
13h30 England vs Ireland
15h30 South Africa ‘A’ vs Georgia
Friday, 16 August (Paarl Gimnasium):
13h30: Georgia vs England
15h30: South Africa vs Ireland
Tuesday, 20 August (Paarl Boys’ HS)
13h30 South Africa vs England
15h30 Ireland vs Georgia
