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world-rugby-u20-championship
Set to face Argentina on Wednesday 9 July with a place in the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-finals at stake, tighthead prop Mohamed Megherbi has learned the value of hard work and sacrifice on the road to elite rugby.
Officially listed at 1.91m and 156kg, the Toulouse front rower is quick to laugh that those stats are outdated.
“That was back in my first year at sports school,” he says from the France U20 base in Italy. “They haven’t updated the system yet—I dropped weight super fast!”
Now tipping the scales at somewhere between 138 and 140kg—“depends on the day,” he adds—the powerful prop admits his heaviest recorded weight was a remarkable 161kg. That’s no longer the case, though he still ranks among the Top 14’s heaviest players.
Megherbi knew the weight had to come off if he was going to make it. Not all of it, but enough. That’s been his focus for the last six months. “I started working on it with the club. Lots of physical prep, plenty of focus on food—if you can call it that,” he smiles. “I tried to change the way I eat.” Not an easy shift for someone who loves cooking.
“In the first year of the rugby academy, none of the prep was really working. But by the second year, I realised I had the talent, I had the tools—but I was missing something: mobility.”
“If I really wanted to play U20s, to aim for a France call-up, I had to lose weight.”
He committed early in the year and hasn’t let up since. “I got down to 136kg, which is the lowest I’ve been. I’ve gone back up a bit since, but that was the turning point.”
One episode that helped was Ramadan. Megherbi, along with U20 Six Nations Player of the Tournament and front-row partner Lyam Akrab, observed the fast during this year’s championship—a difficult feat while in full training camp.
“I kept training while fasting. Our nutritionist Lucas really helped us a lot. Me and Lyam did the full Ramadan, even during training,” says Megherbi. “We had a few adjustments in some sessions, but overall we stuck to a proper athlete’s diet. I actually lost a bit more weight during the tournament.”
He finished the Six Nations at 137kg—and noticed the difference. “That’s when I really got it. Losing weight isn’t just about the number. It’s like taking off a weighted vest. On the pitch, it changes everything.”
Six months and 20kg lighter, Megherbi is not just thriving—he’s surviving. Playing in the Italian heat, with temperatures soaring between 35 and 37°C, has been a test.
“And I feel it, especially in this heat,” he admits. “If I was still 150kg, I wouldn’t be moving the same. I don’t even think I’d last 40 minutes.”
A latecomer to rugby, Megherbi only picked up the sport at 14. Raised in the Mirail district of Toulouse, he’s currently studying to become a sports coach, specialising in XVs rugby. He also has a passion for boxing and football—but it’s clear his future lies in the front row.
