The Princely couple on Tuesday, November 14, received in the Hall of the Guards at the Palace several members of the delegation that will fly on November 29 to the Emirates to participate in the Rugby 7s tournament in Dubai, local French daily Monaco-Matin reports.
They call themselves the Monaco Impis, the Warriors of Monaco in Zulu, a name chosen by Princess Charlene who has been particularly interested in this project, which includes the participation of her brother, Gareth Wittstock, since its inception.
With a bi-national team composed of five players from the Monaco national team and seven South African international players, this is a first in the history of Monegasque rugby and reflects the many exchanges over several years between the Monegasque Rugby Federation and the South African counterpart.
The programme, dubbed the Monaco South Africa Rugby Exchange, supported by the Princess Charlene Foundation, is reflected in the hosting of young South African players in February for the Sainte Devote tournament. The Monegasque team under-16 years participates in a tournament in South Africa. The Monaco Impis are the new piece in the jigsaw.
“It’s great that for the first time our senior players can take part in this project with four of the five rugby players from the Monaco team coming from the training provided since childhood by the federation,” its president Cédric Nardi commented.