Two South African Under-18 teams and their age-group counterparts from England, France, Georgia and Ireland will face off in Cape Town and Paarl next month, with the annual U18 International Series confirmed by SA Rugby on Thursday.

France beat Fiji 28-7 to win Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s rugby sevens gold, while South Africa overcome Australia to secure bronze in front of 69,000 fervent fans at Stade de France

Despite both teams being eliminated from the Paris Olympics ahead of their meeting, there was no shortage of noise and excitement in the build-up as South Africa and France locked horns at Stade Yves-du-Manoir on Friday evening.

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.