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Chile can look back at their Vancouver 7s experience with pride after defeating Russia 10-0 in the Trophy Quarter Finals. It was their first HSBC Sevens Series win since the 19-7 Bowl Quarter Final result over Japan at Las Vegas in 2010 and first shutout victory in 15 years.
An early try by Marcelo Torrealba put the Russians on the back foot and they never recovered. Their defense stood strong and a dozen tense minutes later Lucas Westcott touched down for the second try and with that a famous victory was earned.
Wales proved too much in their second match of the day but were made to work for the 14-5 result, with Julio Blanc the try-scorer for Chile. It marked noticeable improvement from the Chileans who had given Kenya a mighty scare on Day One, just falling short 26-19 after holding a 19-0 lead in the first half. Two tries to captain Felipe Brangier and one by Francisco Metuaze were not enough as the Chileans ran out of energy at the end of a long day.
Chile’s performance over the past two weekends has led many observers to label them the ‘best 16th team’ on the circuit this season. With a young team and plenty of talent their efforts may give World Rugby more food for thought towards the possibility of a second tier sevens series to help grow the game.
Chile win their first match on the #HSBC7s since Las Vegas in 2010, beating Russia 10-0 here in Vancouver! #Canada7s pic.twitter.com/vHjyjecdUF
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) March 12, 2017
