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Number 8 Nick Smith will captain Brazil in Saturday’s home international against Chile in São Paulo. The SPAC back-rower will have the honor of leading the team in a South American A Championship match at the Estadio Pacaembu, São Paulo’s stadium used for the 1950 FIFA World Cup.
The fixture is to be a round two match in the South American Championship with Brazil looking to rebound from a convincing loss across town to Uruguay. The visiting Cóndores players are full of confidence, coming off a 68-07 home win against Paraguay last Saturday.
The match will be vastly different for Chile whose home match was played at a park rather than a stadium. Against Brazil the local media will be there in force with Rede TV broadcasting the match live on free-to-air television.
The match is to be the second between the countries this year. Earlier Chile escaped with a three point victory in the Americas Rugby Championship. The 25-22 result was Chile’s only highlight in an otherwise disappointing campaign. Brazil, in contrast, would go on to make history by beating the USA, thereby finishing ahead of Chile in the final standings.
In seeking a win on Saturday Brazil has made five changes. Coming into the team to play on the left wing is Robert Tenório of São Paulo’s French club Pasteur. Santa Catarina winger Guilherme Coghetto also gets a start with last weeks’s starting 14 Laurent Bourda-Couhet moving to inside center.
In the forwards there are three modifications. The try-scoring replacement, Australian Mark Jackson has been elevated to the run-on team. Jackson’s teammate from the Desterro club, André Arruda will also start. Lastly, loosehead prop Jonatas Paulo, known as ‘Chabal’, will start against Los Cóndores.
Uruguayan Alejandro Longres will officiate the match, doing so with Claudio Cattivelli (Uruguay) and Victor Silvero (Paraguay) as his assistants.
BRAZIL
15 Daniel Sancery (São José), 14 Guilherme Coghetto (Desterro), 13 Felipe Sancery (São José), 12 Laurent Bourda-Couhet (Band Saracens), 11 Robert Tenório (Pasteur), 10 Moisés Duque (São José), 9 Lucas Duque (São José), 8 Nick Smith (SPAC – capt.), 7 André Arruda (Desterro), 6 Mark Jackson (Desterro), 5 Diego Lopez (Pasteur), 4 Lucas Piero “Bruxinho” (Desterro), 3 Rafael Carnivalle “Carnaval” (SPAC), 2 Yan Rosetti (CUBA, Argentina), 1 Jonatas Paulo (Band Saracens)
Replacements: 16 Luan Almeida (Jacareí), 17 Caique Silva (NaFor), 18 Lucas Abud (SPAC), 19 Artur Bergo (SPAC), 20 João Luiz da Ros (Desterro), 21 Beukes Cremer (Poli), 22 Phil Ramos (Desterro), 23 Stefano Giantorno (NaFor)
