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Los Condores have named their team to face the Tupis in their first match of the Americas Rugby Championship, to be played at Parque Mahuida, Santiago, on Saturday. Veteran loose forward Benjamín Soto has been named as captain in a team that shows seven changes to the side that was blitzed by Spain in November, as well as several positional switches.
France-based Ramon Ayarza bolsters the front row alongside new hooker Rodrigo Moya, while Cristóbal Niedmann comes in the flank. Soto moves to no8 and Nikola Bursic is bumped forward into the second row to accommodate.
Beltrán Vergara wins his first cap and partners the vastly experienced Cristián Onetto in a new-look halfback combination. Matías Nordenflycht comes into the midfield, with José Ignacio Larenas moving out to the wing and Leonardo Montoya sliding to fullback.
Former skipper Juan Pablo Perrotta is resigned to a spot on the bench along with uncapped hooker Tomás Dussaillant.
Chile have played Brazil on 22 previous occasions, winning 19 and losing only twice with one draw. The last meeting was a 32-3 victory for Los Condores on April 25 of last year in Santiago.
The match kicks off at 6pm local, 4pm EST and will be streamed live, and can be viewed here.
CHILE
1 Ramón Ayarza 2 Rodrigo Moya 3 Sergio de la Fuente 4 Nikola Bursic 5 Matías Cabrera 6 Cristóbal Niedmann 7 Javier Richard 8 Benjamín Soto (capt.) 9 Beltrán Vergara 10 Cristián Onetto 11 Ítalo Zunino 12 Francisco de la Fuente 13 Matías Nordenflycht 14 José Ignacio Larenas 15 Leonardo Montoya
16 Tomás Dussaillant 17 Claudio Zamorano 18 Luis Sepúlveda 19 Raimundo Piwonka 20 Ignacio Silva 21 Juan Pablo Perrotta 22 Pablo Casas 23 Matías Contreras
