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A strong competitor in prior years of the ARC, Uruguay go into the 2019 campaign with everyone paying attention. Los Teros have been a success of the competition, most notably in claiming the scalp of Canada in Vancouver twelve months ago.
The 2018 ARC saw Canada vs Uruguay doubling for RWC qualifiers. They would play both home-and-away, with Uruguay claiming the Americas 2 spot for Japan 2019 and sending Canada into the dreaded Repechage.
Los Teros demonstrated against Canada that they have the structure to win matches. The forwards were solid and the service from scrum-half was genuinely world class. Santiago Arata’s move to Major League Rugby was not a surprise with some instead wondering if the French Top 14 or English Premiership may be more appropriate for him. A coup for MLR no doubt.
Arata and Agustín Ormaechea both provided excellent service for the backs who were notably improved to that from RWC 2015. Ultimately this was key to Uruguay claiming 38-29 and 32-31 wins in Vancouver and Montevideo.
Elsewhere in the 2018 ARC Uruguay came away with two wins and two losses. They defeated Brazil 27-18 and Chile 67-15 but were no match for either the Argentina XV or the USA. The 61-19 loss against the Eagles underlined the complexity of playing six games back-to-back over consecutive weekends.
RECENT FORM
The inaugural Sudamérica 6 Naciones A saw the Uruguay XV rather than Los Teros. The same occurred from the June Internationals through until October. The test side would not play again until November. The European tour was extensive with matches against Pro 14 sides the Cardiff Blues and Ulster prior to facing Fiji, and Romania in test matches.
Los Teros were experimental against the Pro 14 sides. They were beaten 45-21 in Cardiff, Wales and 21-5 in Belfast, Northern Ireland a mere three days later. The team was stronger for the Ulster fixture but still far from the full-strength side which had faced Canada in the ARC.
Match three saw the Flying Fijians obliterating Uruguay, winning 68-7 in England. The gulf was clear with Fiji’s win over France the following weekend underlining just how good they are. Uruguay ended the year with a historic 27-20 away win over Romania.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
It is only natural that attention will be placed on Uruguay’s professional players. In all there are seven MLR players listed on the roster. Not all of Uruguay’s professional players have been included which opens the doors for others. Tomás Inciarte is a prospect at scrum-half and winger Nicolás Freitas is a probable starter for Uruguay in Japan 2019. Up front the returning Mario Sagario is sensational news for Los Teros. Additional front-row talent can be identified in Facundo Gattas, and Germán Kessler, second-rower Diego Ayala, and flanker Leandro Segredo have all developed strongly and are players to watch.
VERDICT
For Uruguay it is simple – they are expected to win their home matches and will be underdogs on the road. They begin against Canada and Chile in Montevideo and finish at the same location against Brazil. The games against the Argentina XV and the USA will be extremely challenging and Uruguay will need to fight tooth and nail in these matches.
FIXTURES
| DATE | LOCAL | ET | OPPONENT | VENUE |
| Sat, Feb 2 | 21:40 | 19:40 | Canada | Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo |
| Fri, Feb 8 | 20:10 | 18:10 | Chile | Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo |
| Sat, Feb 23 | 11:40 | 09:40 | Argentina XV | Vélez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires |
| Sat, Mar 2 | 19:10 | 22:10 | USA | Starfire Stadium, Seattle |
| Sat, Mar 9 | 19:15 | 17:15 | Brazil | Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo |
SQUAD
FORWARDS: Joaquín Jaunsolo (Los Cuervos), Guillermo Pujadas (Champagnat), Mario Sagario (Carrasco Polo), Mateo Sanguinetti (Houston SaberCats, US), Facundo Gattas (Hindú, AR), Germán Kessler (Los Cuervos), Diego Ayala (MVCC), Ignacio Dotti (New Orleans Gold, US), Diego Magno (Houston SaberCats, US), Manuel Diana (Old Christians), Juan Manuel Gaminara (Old Boys), Alejandro Nieto (Houston SaberCats, US), Juan Diego Ormaechea (Carrasco Polo), Leandro Segredo (Old Christians), Gonzalo Soto Mera (Carrasco Polo)
BACKS: Joaquín Alonso (Old Boys), Tomás Inciarte (Old Christians), Santiago Piñeyrúa (Old Boys), Andrés De León (Old Christians), Rodrigo Silva (Austin Elite, US), Juan Manuel Cat (Old Boys), Agustín Della Corte (Trebol), Joaquín Prada (Los Cuervos), Federico Favaro (Old Christians), Nicolás Freitas (Carrasco Polo), Ignacio García (PSG), Leandro Leivas (Toronto Arrows, CA), Manuel Blengio (Old Christians), Gastón Mieres (Toronto Arrows)
