SLAR 2021 – Selknam Preview

Selknam will be one of six competitors in the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). The Santiago-based side is Chile’s first professional rugby team. The team featured in the inaugural SLAR match in 2020. The 30-man roster contains 25 Chileans and five Argentines.

HEAD COACH
Nicolás Bruzzone will have his first experience of coaching rugby at this level. The 35-year-old takes over in place of Pablo Lemoine who, in 2020, was Head Coach of both Selknam and Chile. As a player Bruzzone was a scrum-half. He was a fringe option for Los Pumas, though was never capped. He went on to be a mainstay for Los Pumas 7’s. He broke his country’s all-time appearance record at the 2016 Sydney Sevens. That same year he played for Argentina at the Rio Olympics. He first played rugby sevens for Argentina in 2007. He first played for the Argentina XV in 2010. His regular position was scrum-half.

CAPTAIN
Selknam’s skipper is Ignacio Silva. The flanker has gotten better with age. The introduction of high performance centers in Chile brought instant results. Silva was one who became fitter and stronger; attributes that made him that much of a better rugby player. His all-around game is that what any coach looks for from a flanker. Moreover, his leadership for Chile in 2020 was very impressive.

STAR PLAYER
Both Ignacio Silva and Martín Sigren were standout performers for the Chile XV in the 2020 South American Championship. The back-row duo outperformed teams that had been making lightwork of Chile in prior years. They compliment eachother very well with their styles of play..

SMART SIGNING
Ramón Ayarza is back in Chile from France. The experienced loose head prop has always made a difference for Chile when playing. He is strong in the scrum and an outstanding ball-carrier. His inclusion for the 2021 season is a notable boost in more ways than one. It means that Chile will have full access to him for the RWC 2023 qualifiers. For Chile they begin in June.

ONE TO WATCH
At the start of the RWC 2015-2019 cycle Anton Petrowitsch was one of the few Chileans to perform consistently. Following time away from the test team, including experience playing abroad, he is back and among an improved group of Chilean players. Petrowitsch is a good example of a flanker who is a link-player; he is a mixture of a second-rower and a flanker. He works well in the lineout and is busy at the breakdown.

STRENGTHS
The scrum should be like a rock. Ramón Ayarza and Matías Dittus loom as leading props in the 2021 SLAR season. They are well supplied with additional options. The lineout is also well serviced. Javier Eissmann was one of the big improvers for Chile in 2020. He and Santiago Portillo appear to be the likely regular duo to lock the scrum. The back-rowers options are another strong asset for Selknam.

CONCERN
Comparatively speaking, Selknam does not have genuine concerns. While, some teams are short of depth in certain positions, Selknam is not. There is also a good blend of experience and youth. The team will serve the purposes of both (a) building a reputable professional team and (b) beneftting Chile’s Men’s test side.

2021 SEASON OUTLOOK
The signs point to a strong season for Selknam. Chile played very well in the 2020 South American Championship. The team defeated both Brazil and Uruguay and came very close to upsetting the Argentina XV. The same players will be those wearing the colors of Selknam in the 2021 SLAR. ARN projects that Selknam will be a title contender. Selknam should make the Semi Finals if not the final.

For further information click here to access the ARN Súper Liga Americana de Rugby page.