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Los Cóndores will field an almost entirely different side to face the USA in San Carlos de Apoquindo on Saturday. A full load of 12 players have been swapped out after losing to the Argentina XV in Talcahuano. Despite showing improvement from the week before, head coach Bernard Charreyre has shown no hesitation in naming his fourth captain in four games during the Americas Rugby Championship.
With Jose Ignacio Larenas dropped and both Claudio Zamorano and Benjamín Soto suspended, it will fall on veteran hooker Manuel Gurruchaga to wear the skipper’s arm band. He will have youth beside him in Vittorio Lastra and José Tomás Munita, while Nikola Bursic returns to add bulk to the second row. Manuel Dagnino fills in for Soto at the back of the scrum and there is a recall for Arturo Seeman, who is set to win his second cap in place of Cristóbal Niedmann.
Another major point of inconsistency is found in the haflbacks. Sergio Bascuñanis the fourth player to weather the no9 shirt during the competition and Francisco González Moller starts at flyhalf instead of Jorge Castillo. The midfield is heavily fortified with battle ram Simón Pardakhty wheeled out in place of the diminutive Ricardo Sifri, while Franco Velarde takes the spot of Larenas at outside centre.
It’s an entirely new back three as well. Tomás Ianiszewski returns after impressing against Canada, but there is no place for either of the Fernández brothers – Martín and Rodrigo. The fullback spot goes to Pablo Verschae and promising winger Matías Contreras is ready to let loose in his first match of the 2017 ARC. Replacement prop Ernesto Ugarte is in line to make his ARC debut as he takes the place of injured Gonzalo Martínez in the match day squad.
CHILE
1 Vittorio Lastra, 2 Manuel Gurruchaga (capt.), 3 José Tomás Munita, 4 Mario Mayol, 5 Nikola Bursic, 6 Arturo Seeman, 7 Anton Petrowitsch, 8 Manuel Dagnino, 9 Sergio Bascuñan, 10 Francisco González Moller, 11 Tomás Ianiszewski, 12 Simón Pardakhty, 13 Franco Velarde, 14 Matías Contreras, 15 Pablo Verschae
Replacements: 16 Rodrigo Moya, 17 Sebastián Valech, 18 Ernesto Ugarte, 19 Nelson Calderón, 20 Eduardo Orpis, 21 Beltrán Vergara, 22 Jorge Castillo, 23 Mauricio Urrutia
