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The 2020 South American 4 Nations will take place this month at the Estadio Charrúa. The competition sees South America’s four members of the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) battling it out in a special tournament.
COVID-19 disruptions mean that Brazil’s players have yet to play since March. Corinthians played against Peñarol in a Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) warm-up. Since then it has been a waiting game for players and fans alike.
The disruptions have been takers note of by authorities. This has led to the decision not to award caps nor rankings. This does not take away from the importance of the competition. The players are fighting for places in the team for the road to RWC 2023. Brazil has targeted the RWC 2023 qualifiers and with Corinthians there is a professional team, something altogether foreign in prior cycles.
Head Coach: The South American 4 Nations sees a new man in charge of Brazil. He is none other than former center Fernando Portugal. The product of São José de Campos is one of Brazil’s most notable players. He played professionally in Italy and was in the test side for a decade-and-a-half. He knows the game like few others in the country and his passion for both rugby and Brazil make him truly unique.
CAPTAIN: Os Tupis are led by Felipe Sancery. The outside center has been a constant in the team since his debut against Colombia in 2015. All 35 of his appearances have been in the starting line-up; 34 of them have been at outside center. His offense is well represented by his 13 test tries. For the superstitious and trivia minded take note that his twin brother, Daniel Sancery also has 13 tries in 35 appearances for Brazil. Moreover, all but one of his matches were starting at fullback.
STAR PLAYER: Loose head prop Lucas Abud is a workhorse in the scrum. The Poli front-rower has 39 caps to his name, a staggering amount for a 27-year-old from São Paulo. He gained notoriety against the Maori All Blacks in 2018. He formed a front-row with Wilton Rebolo, and Jardel Vettorato. The latter has since retired. Rebolo is developing well in Major League Rugby.
ONE TO WATCH: There are raves about teenager Gabriel Oliveira. The second-rower stands at 1.93m (6-4) tall at the age of 18. He was a stand-out in the juniors. Fernando Portugal has placed faith in the youngster with him being one of just three second-rowers on the roster. His nickname is Fúria and it is noted that he plays with the same fury as RWC 2019 finalist Maro Itoje.
OUTLOOK: Officially Brazil are the third seeds for the competition. They are thereby expected to lose against the Argentina XV and Uruguay XV, but defeat Chile. Such and outcome would be deemed successful. However, Chile has progressed well since the teams last met in 2019. Their match on Sunday, October 25 could go either way.
For further information click here to access the 2020 South American 4 Nations page.
2020 SOUTH AMERICAN 4 NATIONS FIXTURES: BRAZIL XV
October 17: Uruguay XV vs Brazil XV
October 21: Argentina XV vs Brazil XV
October 25: Chile XV vs Brazil XV
