Match Preview – Brazil vs Chile

One of the hottest rivalries of modern times in the Americas is set to continue on Saturday. Brazil host Chile at the Estádio do Canindé in the opening round of the Sudamericano 6 Naciones ‘A’. It’s the only full test match of the first round and one of only four during the competition.

Mark Cross has named his strongest Chile side of the year with a total of 286 caps worth of experience in the starting lineup. The team shows six changes in all from their final Americas Rugby Championship match against Canada in March.

Two players will make their test debuts. PWCC prop Oliver Thompson and versatile Old Boys speedster Lucas Westcott are both given the nod. The mobile Thompson fills the gap left by overseas pair Ramón Ayarza and Vittorio Lastra while Westcott takes the place of Lucca Avelli, the latter named on the bench.

Headlining the selection is Bayonne veteran Pablo Huete, who starts alongside Mario Mayol in a formidable second row pairing. At No8 it’s an interesting selection with openside specialist Ignacio Silva named, his low center of gravity and strong ball carrying ability preferred to more traditional alternatives.

Beltran Vergara is a surprise addition at scrumhalf having been left out of the initial squad named earlier in the week. He partners the exciting Rodrigo Fernandez in a new-look halfback combination, with a very experienced midfield named in Barcelona’s Francisco de la Fuente and captain José Ignacio Larenas.

Os Tupis will be short of full strength. Established forwards Cléber Dias, Matheus Daniel, and André Arruda are all unavailable with uncapped 19-year-old Matheus Claudio set to debut at No8 and record-cap holder João Luiz da Ros named on the flank in what could be his final test appearance.

The backs appear to have one alteration from the incumbent lineup if the announced numbers are correct. Felipe Sancery swaps places with De Wet van Niekerk, the former named on the left wing and the latter at outside center. Star fullback Daniel Sancery remains sidelined with injury.

On the bench there are three players present who are typically used as tighthead props. Wilton Rebolo will instead cover loosehead, and Matheus Rocha is nominated as lock cover.

In total there have been 26 matches between Chile and Brazil. Los Cóndores have a far better record overall with 21 victories, Brazil winning on three occasions with two draws. Brazil’s first win came in 2014 and since then Os Tupis have matched Chile with three wins, one draw and three losses.

Home advantage has been significant in this match-up in the past but Canindé does not have the same presence as Pacaembu. This is a very strong Chilean side on paper while Brazil are absent a number of their best performers. A blowout is unlikely but the Cóndores must enter the match as favorites despite playing on the road.

BRAZIL
1 Lucas Abud, 2 Yan Rosetti (capt.), 3 Jardel Vettorato, 4 Mauricio Canterle, 5 Gabriel Paganini, 6 João Luiz da Ros, 7 Arthur Bergo, 8 Matheus Claudio, 9 Will Broderick, 10 Josh Reeves, 11 Felipe Sancery, 12 Moisés Duque, 13 De Wet van Niekerk, 14 Stefano Giantorno, 15 Lucas Tranquez

Replacements: 16 Endy Willian, 17 Wilton Rebolo, 18 Caíque Silva, 19 Matheus Rocha, 20 Michael Moraes, 21 Daniel Silva, 22 Robert Tenório, 23 Ariel Rodrigues

CHILE
1 Oliver Thompson, 2 Tomás Dussaillant, 3 José Tomás Munita, 4 Pablo Huete, 5 Mario Mayol, 6 Javier Richard, 7 Anton Petrowitsch, 8 Ignacio Silva, 9 Beltrán Vergara, 10 Rodrigo Fernández, 11 Ítalo Zunino, 12 Francisco de la Fuente, 13 José Ignacio Larenas (capt.), 14 Lucas Westcott, 15 Tomás Ianiszewski

Replacements: 16 Rodrigo Moya, 17 Sebastián Otero, 18 Lucas Bordigoni, 19 Martín Sigren, 20 Alfonso Escobar, 21 Juan Pablo Perrotta, 22 Pedro Verschae, 23 Lucca Avelli

Date: Saturday, May 5
Venue: Estádio do Canindé, São Paulo
Kickoff: 19:00 local (15:00 Pacific, 18:00 Eastern)
Referee: Joaquín Montes (URU)
Assistants: Murilo Bragotto (CBRu) & Victor Hugo Barboza (CBRu)
Broadcasts: SporTV3