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Despite media reports in the British Press describing Uruguay as being an entirely amateur rugby nation, the reality is much different. The sport remains amateur but those in preparation for World Cup places are being paid to take time off work to concentrate on their rugby. In addition Uruguay has professional players based abroad including Felipe Berchesi (Carcassonne), Gastón Mieres (Valpolicella), Agustín Ormaechea (Mont de Marsan), Mario Sagario (Massy) in the 41-man the squad currently training for World Cup selection.
Missing is Rodrigo Capó Ortega who won the French Top 14 championship in 2013 with Castres. He is out of the World Cup for personal reasons – his wife is expecting to give birth. No financial agreement was reached between club and player. Rather he is simply a veteran, now aged 34 and has made the decision to put family first.
Capó Ortega is, nonetheless, Uruguay’s highest profile player and was the individual that those unfamiliar with Uruguayan rugby appeared to have been focusing on in the lead-up to the England and Wales hosted event this coming September. His loss should, nonetheless, not be interpreted as a fatal blow due to him having played no international matches from November 2009 until last September when he returned to face Russia.
Los Teros have, in other words, been preparing and playing without the Castres second-rower for a number of years. The Unión de Rugby del Uruguay (Uruguayan Rugby Union – URU) has been preparing without Capó Ortega. For more than two years the URU has worked closely and intensely with Los Teros to bridge the gap between itself and Tier 2 nations to thereby make it through qualifiers and secure a place at the World Cup.
A notable aspect of the policy have been the acquisition of the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo and the construction of modern training facilities for the players to be far better prepared for international duty. Heavily involved has been local government with the Intendencia de Montevideo (IMM) greatly assisting the process to provide the means for Uruguay to have a team more capable of competing in Rugby World Cup qualifiers.
World Rugby has also had direct influence in aiding the URU’s needs which are to continue running an amateur union body in a professional era. Los Teros General Manager Santiago Slinger told El Observador that ”what sets us apart from other countries is that although we are a company with daily work, we have income and expenses, people are paid and services are contracted, yet a part of our staff remains honorary and players have their own jobs. At the same time we do not appologize for our amateurism, we want to be equal or better than others.”
Preparation for the World Cup has been eased by the URU’s facilities at the Estadio Charrúa. The financial costs of the project have been US$1.5million which has been funded in three ways: World Rugby provided funding for national teams, the Uruguayan government and sponsors which include ANTEL, Volkswagen and Scotiabank.
The financial resources are being used for the World Cup but the URU is in no position to pay player wages at a comparable levels to the norm of competing teams. There is, nonetheless, a lot to be gained by adhering to World Rugby guidelines. Should Uruguay do so then the union is to gain US$200,000 per match from World Rugby at the global event.
The players know what is at stake and seek to do what they can to ensure the URU can reap the benefits. Sacrifice and amateurism were indeed at the forefront of Uruguay’s qualifying campaign. To assist the URU is paying between $10,000 and $25,000 Uruguayan pesos to the players. The value depends on the individual’s circumstances – for instance rates will vary for those who are University Students to those who have a family and children.
Being paid makes the players professionals but it should be interpreted correctly as neighboring Argentina has squad members based in France who are earning US$70,000 a month. The gap can be closed according to Slinger by the smart use of merchandising. ”we must seize the World Cup year and people who want access to the brand.” He believes the possibilities are highly productive ”we have become convinced that the people are interested in having something from Los Teros – such as a t-shirt or a cap”.
The growing profile of rugby in Uruguay in recent years has seen rugby playing equipment and casual clothing becoming increasingly accessible. In a bid to increase profits the URU is to open a Los Teros rugby store at the Estadio Charrúa.
The value of rugby is also set to benefit Uruguay like never before. Sources have indicated to Americas Rugby News that the proposed Americas Six Nations, to begin next February, is to see Los Teros playing away to the USA with Houston being looked at as a possible location. Regular quality away matches are vital to the profile of Uruguayan rugby while the URU is to gain directly from playing at the Estadio Charrúa.
