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José Ignacio Larenas will captain Chile during their historic four-match November test series. The 28-year-old takes over in the absence of veteran hooker Manuel Gurruchaga, but it’s not the first time Larenas has assumed the role. He led his country against the Argentina XV at Talcahuano during the Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year, a match that saw a heavily outgunned Chile defeated 45-10 despite a brave defensive stand.
“It’s a unique opportunity, and we take it as a great challenge to measure ourselves against strong opponents to keep growing as a team,” Larenas said in an official release.
A versatile player who can cover anywhere across the three-quarter line, Larenas has won 23 caps since his debut against Portugal in November 2012. It’s in the midfield where he is set to play on the November tour alongside European professional Francisco de la Fuente. They could find themselves with a new flyhalf as 19-year-old Santiago Videla will compete for the position with veteran Benjamín Pizarro.
Videla is one of three players called up from the Junior Cóndores side that competed at the World Rugby u20 Trophy in Montevideo. The others are flanker Alfonso Escobar and scrumhalf Domingo Saavedra. Larenas is positive about the graduation of the youngsters into the test side.
“We gave them the confidence to be integrated and they have done very well. They were very competitive at the u20 Trophy tournament and the idea is that they continue in the same way with the seniors.”
Chile will play the first three matches of their tour in Hong Kong between November 10 and 18 as part of the Cup of Nations, a four-team tournament that also includes Kenya and Russia. They will then head to Europe for a one-off test against Germany on November 25.
