Sebastián Kalm to play for USA not Chile

Sebastián Kalm is to play for the USA not Chile. Playing for the Ohio Aviators the 24-year-old loose forward was voted Most Valuable Player of the inaugural PRO Rugby season in the USA.

Kalm broke out playing for Lindenwold University in St. Louis, Missouri. He did so having previously played for Chile at u20 level. Previously Kalm has trained with the senior Chilean squad but has never been capped. As such his eligibility is yet to be captured by his country of origin.

Playing for Lindenwood University, Kalm completed a finance degree. His rugby skills developed strongly which saw him called-up to participate in a USA Rugby academy camp. From there he would go on to land a PRO Rugby contract and now he has taken the decision to play for the USA, if selected.

In less than 200 days Kalm will have completed the three-year residency requirements from World Rugby. This means he will be eligible to play for the USA in the November Internationals but not the June Internationals or World Cup qualifiers against Canada.

Kalm told La Tercera “For me deciding against playing for Chile is not easy. It is painful, but I am making the decision for my career and to reach the highest level possible. What motivates me is playing in a World Cup.”

“Not being able to play for Chile weighs heavily on me as they are all my friends. But I have always been transparent, never hiding my intentions. The test side supports me. Even the coaches have said that if they were in my shoes they could take the opportunity that I have.”

Kalm played in Santiago for Grange Old Boys. In doing so he played together with the likes of Ramón Ayarza and Pablo Huete, both of whom play in the Top 14.