Rugby World Cup 2023 new boys Chile: What do we know about them?
South American nation Chile will make their XV’s Rugby World Cup debut in France this year after qualifying as Americas 2. Los Cóndores made history in July last year by recovering from 19-0 down at half-time in Glendale, Colorado, to beat the USA 31-29 and secure qualification for this year’s showpiece with a 52-51 aggregate win. ALSO READ: VIDEO: Schoolboy rugby trick play like […]
South American nation Chile will make their XV’s Rugby World Cup debut in France this year after qualifying as Americas 2.
Los Cóndores made history in July last year by recovering from 19-0 down at half-time in Glendale, Colorado, to beat the USA 31-29 and secure qualification for this year’s showpiece with a 52-51 aggregate win.
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Chile had already beaten Canada earlier in the Americas process, coming out on top 54-46 on aggregate to prevent the North American side from qualifying for a Rugby World Cup since the tournament’s inception.
Led by captain Martin Sigren and featuring exciting backs like flyhalf Rodrigo Fernandez and winger Santiago Videla – who kicked the winning penalty in Glendale – Chile have made great progress under coach Pablo Lemoine, who has both played for and coached Uruguay at a Rugby World Cup, as well as having made more than 90 appearances for Stade Français.
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Lemoine has been at the helm of the Chilean men’s national team since 2018 and has guided los Cóndores to a string of huge results, including a first-ever win over Canada.
SO WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE CHILE RUGBY TEAM?
Los Cóndores play in red and white jerseys. They are currently ranked 22nd in the world by World Rugby as at 8 May 2023, making them the third highest-ranked nation in South America.
Chile was the second South American nation after Argentina to play international rugby union, playing their first international test against Argentina in 1936 in Santiago.
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Chile is one of the founding members of CONSUR (now known as Sudamérica Rugby) in 1989, alongside Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Chile has long been participating in the South American Rugby Championship since 1951 and has consistently been the third- or even the second-best team in South America. They have also been regular contenders on the Sevens circuit in recent years.
In 2016, Chile joined Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the USA and Uruguay to form the current edition of the Americas Rugby Championship, aimed at improving the standard of rugby union in the Americas region and the goal of Rugby World Cup qualification.
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The majority of the current squad play domestically for Chile’s Super Rugby Americas team Selknam, with the notable exception of Chile captain Martin Sigren who plays for Doncaster Knights in the RFU Championship.
WHERE ARE THEY PLACED AT THE RUGBY WORLD CUP?
Los Cóndores take their place in Pool D and will play England, Japan and Samoa all for the first time as well as face Argentina in a first-ever all-South American fixture in Rugby World Cup history.
If you fancy keeping an eye on how the debutants progress at this year’s Rugby World Cup, their fixtures are as follows:
Sunday, 10 September: Chile v Japan (Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse)
Sunday, 17 September: Chile v Samoa (Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux)
Saturday, 23 September: Chile v England (Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
Saturday, 30 September: Chile v Argentina (Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes)