They left twenty-eight. The light heart, the spirit inhabited by their dreams of kids. Twenty-seven returned. Eyes reddened with tears and nightmares in the head. They were 17 years old. Adolescents with emerging talent, convinced that by hooking the XV jersey of France under 18 (U18) opened a brilliant career before them.
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It was enough for a few minutes for this promise to switch to horror. It was August 7, 2024, in South Africa, around 3:30 p.m., on one of the beaches close to the city of Cap. A place known for the anger of the waters and the treachery of the currents, where two oceans compete in nasty winds, in a surge of waves: the evil named Cap de Bonne-Espérance.
It was through these violent forces that Mehdi Narjissi was caught up. Like all his teammates wounded forever in their soul, he saw his future in professional rugby player. “He was a joyful child. When he was little, he stirred all the time. It is only at the stadium, when he watched his father played, that he remained quiet ”says Valérie Narjissi, her mother, her voice troubled by sorrow, the features tired by pain. “Sport was his passion. Mehdi did not play console like other teenagers, he had to move ”adds Jalil Narjissi, his father, that the sadness of the loss of the one who was his ” balance “as he says, lives now.
“Watch out for currents”
Their son is now missing. His life was swept away by background blades, his dreams engulfed in cold and tumultuous waters. Mehdi Narjissi was taken by the sea a few tens of meters off the Beach Dias. Swimming is strongly not recommended on this beach that a cliff overlooks, accessible by a wooden staircase. « Warning rip currents. Swimming is dangerous » (“Watch out for ripping currents. Swimming is dangerous”), is it inscribed on a panel planted above the cove.
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