Match Preview: Chile vs Chile

Chile vs Chile will be played on Saturday. The match is both a trial and a warm-up match. It takes place before Chile’s roster is finalized for the South American 4 Nations.

The two teams consist of players in consideration for the tournament in Uruguay. They are divided into Cóndores Blancos and Cóndores Rojos, or the White Condors and the Red Condors. Each team will have expanded replacements to give each team a total of 26 players. 30 players are expected to travel to Montevideo.

The Blancos and Rojos involve players from throughout Chile. Regional players include Marco Araya and Alessandro Mettifogo from La Serena; Bastián Díaz and Sebastián Luza from Arica and Iñaki Gurruchaga from Concepción.

There will also be a presence of professional players. Marcelo Torrealba will play for Cóndores Rojos. He plays for Austin Gilgronis in Major League Rugby (MLR). He will be joined by a host of Selknam players from the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR).

Saturday’s match is to be the launch of a three year project. It marks the official beginning of Chile’s road ton quality for and compete at RWC 2023. Despite never having qualified for a RWC, Chile has come close. In 2002 Chile defeated Uruguay and the USA in what were RWC 2003 qualifiers.

The Chile Blancos vs Chile Rojos match will be played behind closed doors at the Estadio Nacional. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30pm. Selknam faced Los Ceibos earlier this year at the venue in the first professional rugby match on Chilean soil.

 

TEAMS

Cóndores Rojos
1 Iñaki Gurruchaga (Old Johns), 2 Tomás Dussaillant (Old Boys), 3 Esteban Inostroza (PWCC), 4 Thomas Orchard (Old Lions), 5 Santiago Pedrero (COBS), 6 Santiago Edwards (Old Boys), 7 Martín Sigren (Old Boys), 8 Alfonso Escobar (COBS), 9 Benjamín Baraona (Uni Católica), 10 Diego Warnken (Alumni), 11 Benjamín de Vidts (Old Boys), 12 Franco Velarde (Viña), 13 José Ignacio Larenas (Uni Católica), 14 Julio Blanc (Old Boys), 15 Joaquín Huici (Stade Francais)

Replacements: 16 Diego Escobar (COBS), 17 Marcelo Huerta (Stade Francais), 18 Marco Araya (Seminario), 19 Bastián Burguener (Sporting), 20 Ernesto Tchimino (DOBS), 21 Jorge Delgado (Uni Católica), 22 Marcelo Torrealba (Austin Gilgronis, US), 23 Agustín Planella (Old Boys), 24 Bastián Díaz (JOBS), 25 Lucas Westcott (Old Boys), 26 Gaspár Moltedo (Old Macks)

Cóndores Blancos
1 Javier Carrasco (Old Reds), 2 Augusto Böhme (Uni Católica), 3 Matías Dittus (Uni Católica), 4 Clemente Saavedra (Old Boys), 5 Maximiliano Silva (Uni Católica), 6 Ignacio Silva (PWCC), 7 Anton Petrowitsch (COBS), 8 Nicolas Garafulic (COBS), 9 Cristobal Escobar (Trapiales), 10 Francisco Urroz (Old Reds), 11 Matías Garafulic (COBS), 12 Santiago Videla (Old Boys), 13 Domingo Saavedra (Old Boys), 14 Lucca Avelli (PWCC), 15 Luca Strabucchi (Alumni)

Replacements: 16 Raimundo Martínez (PWCC), 17 Salvador Lues (COBS), 18 José Tomás Munita (Uni Católica), 19 Manuel Ripamonti (Old Georgians), 20 Joaquín Milesi (PWCC), 21 Joaquín Vidal (Alumni), 22 Jan Hasenlechner (COBS), 23 Luka Carvallo (PWCC), 24 Martín Dumay (COBS), 25 Benjamín Goñi (Old Boys), 26 Alessandro Mettifogo (Seminario)

 

Date: Saturday, September 26
Venue: Estadio Nacional, Santiago
Kick-Off: 3:30pm (local)
Streaming: Facebook