Blanco beat Rojo in Chile trial match

Team Blanco were 34-10 winners over Team Rojo at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago on Saturday. The match was organized as a trial match for Chile coach Pablo Lemoine as the Cóndores prepare to compete in the upcoming South American Championship in Montevideo.

Team Rojo had an early chance to score from a 5-meter scrum but the strength of Condores tighthead Matías Dittus in particular gave Blanco the edge. Rojo would go through the phases but could not break through and the Blanco defense finally cleared their lines.

The stalemate would hold until the half-hour mark when Martín Dumay showed good footwork to spin out of a tackle and score in the corner. At just 20 years old the powerfully-built midfielder looks an exciting prospect for Los Cóndores.

Team Blanco continued to own the scrum and sustained pressure would result in a second try before halftime. This time it was winger Benjamín Goñi, another youngster, who crossed after good work from Blanco’s outstanding loose forward trio of Ignacio Silva, Anton Petrowitsch, and Nicolás Garafulic.

Francisco Urroz failed to convert the first two tries but made good on the third after captain Silva wrestled in beside the uprights 10 minutes into the second half. With Blanco now holding a commanding 17-nil lead it was up to Team Rojo to roll up their sleeves.

To their credit they would put points on the board soon after via the boot of Marcelo Torrealba. The Austin Gilgronis scrumhalf made a positive impression coming in off the bench and slotted a penalty goal.

He alone could not stop Team Blanco from exerting their dominance up front, and a try to Raimundo Martínez stretched the lead to 22-3. It was a picture-perfect driving maul with the promising hooker earning the credit for his team’s effort.

The red jerseys finally got a try from winger Benjamín de Vidts, with Torrealba adding the extras. It would be as close as they would come, however, as Augusto Böhme responded for the white shirts with Garafulic putting the icing on the cake on full-time.

 

SCORING

ROJO 10
Tries – B. de Vidts
Cons – M. Torrealba
Pens – M. Torrealba

BLANCO 34
Tries – M. Dumay, B. Goñi, I. Silva, R. Martínez, A. Böhme, N. Garafulic
Cons – F. Urroz 2

 

TEAMS

CÓNDORES ROJO
1 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 2 Tomás Dussaillant, 3 Esteban Inostroza, 4 Thomas Orchard, 5 Santiago Pedrero, 6 Santiago Edwards, 7 Martín Sigren (capt.), 8 Alfonso Escobar, 9 Benjamín Baraona, 10 Diego Warnken, 11 Benjamín de Vidts, 12 Franco Velarde, 13 José Ignacio Larenas, 14 Julio Blanc, 15 Joaquín Huici

Replacements: 16 Diego Escobar, 17 Marcelo Huerta, 18 Marco Araya, 19 Bastián Burguener, 20 Ernesto Tchimino, 21 Jorge Delgado, 22 Marcelo Torrealba, 23 Agustín Planella, 24 Bastián Díaz, 25 Lucas Westcott, 26 Gaspár Moltedo

CÓNDORES BLANCO
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Augusto Böhme, 3 Matías Dittus, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 5 Maximiliano Silva, 6 Ignacio Silva (capt.), 7 Anton Petrowitsch, 8 Nicolás Garafulic, 9 Cristobal Escobar, 10 Francisco Urroz, 11 Matías Garafulic, 12 Santiago Videla, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Lucca Avelli, 15 Luca Strabucchi

Replacements: 16 Raimundo Martínez, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 José Tomás Munita, 19 Manuel Ripamonti, 20 Joaquín Milesi, 21 Joaquín Vidal, 22 Jan Hasenlechner, 23 Luka Carvallo, 24 Benjamín Goñi, 25 Martín Dumay, 26 Alessandro Mettifogo

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Frank Méndez (Chile)