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Selknam have home advantage on Tuesday. The Chilean SLAR franchise will take on debutants Los Cafeteros Pro in Santiago. The match will be game two of the 2021 season. It follows the season opener of Peñarol vs Olímpia Lions.
Selknam’s lineup is packed with test players. The overall make-up of the team is twelve Chileans and three Argentines. The Argentine players are second-rower Santiago Portillo, scrum-half Patricio Baronio, and fly half Ignacio Albornoz. Baronio and Albornoz are returning players for Selknam from the inaugural SLAR season.
Despite the notable contingent of test players, Selknam have evidently selected their line-up with a view to rotation. For instance, Javier Carrasco, Raimundo Martínez, and Salvador Lues will start vs Los Cafeteros in the front-row. They are more likely to be replacements vs Los Jaguares XV or Peñarol.
Portillo joins Clemente Saavedra in the second-row. It is a mobile combination that sees top Chilean lock Javier Eissmann excluded from the 23. Ignacio Silva and Martín Sigren are the starting flankers and Nicolás Garafulic will play at the back of the scrum.
The backline has variety. The Argentine halves will be well supported by Santiago Videla at inside center and Rodrigo Fernández at fullback. Selknam will not lack play-making options.
Ten Argentines and five Colombians will start for Los Cafeteros Pro. The Colombians are prop Diego Posada, second-rower Jhon Carlos Álvarez, N8 Gersón Ortíz, and wingers Alejandro Navarro and Jhon Arley Urrutia.
Gonzalo García will captain the side. He was Los Ceibos starting scrum-half in 2020 and his debut for Los Pumas is just a matter of time. García is joined by four Argentina XV players in the starting line-up. They are complemented by additional players to have played for Argentina at junior levels. Ramiro Tallone is the only Argentine on the bench. The seven others are all Colombians. In short, the team has reputable names and a balance that reflects Colombia’s present needs.
There will be plenty of individiual match-ups of note. One worth paying close attention to comes outwide. The battle between Lucca Avelli and Jhon Arley Urrutia will be one to watch. Both players are very fast and have neat foot work.
History will be made on Tuesday. The match will mark the debut appearance of a Colombian professional rugby team. Selknam had a 1-1 record when the 2020 SLAR season was suspended. The Chileans are clear favorites to win against Los Cafeteros Pro. ARN projects Selknam to win by 6 points.
TEAMS
SELKNAM
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Raimundo Martínez, 3 Salvador Lues, 4 Santiago Portillo, 5 Clemente Saavedra, 6 Ignacio Silva (capt.), 7 Martín Sigren, 8 Nicolás Garafulic, 9 Patricio Baronio, 10 Ignacio Albornoz, 11 Lucca Avelli, 12 Santiago Videla, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Matías Garafulic, 15 Rodrigo Fernández
Replacements: 16 Augusto Bohme, 17 Ramón Ayarza, 18 Matías Dittus, 19 Santiago Pedrero, 20 Alfonso Escobar, 21 Bautista Stavile, 22 José Ignacio Larenas, 23 Maximilano Filizzola
CAFETEROS PRO
1 Javier Corvalán, 2 Agustín Acosta, 3 Diego Posada, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Jhon Carlos Álvarez, 6 Aníbal Panceyra Garrido, 7 Felipe Puertas, 8 Gerson Ortíz, 9 Gonzalo García (capt.), 10 Nicolás Roger, 11 Alejandro Navarro, 12 Facundo Pueyrredón, 13 Tomás García, 14 Jhon Arley Urrutia, 15 Facundo Ferrario
Replacements: 16 Jorge Álvarez, 17 Yani Pérez, 18 Brayhan Pérez, 19 Ramiro Tallone, 20 Diver Ceballos, 21 Julián Navarro, 22 Andrés Álvarez, 23 Cristian Rodallegas
Date: Tuesday, March 16
Kick-Off: 8:00pm (Santiago)
Referee: Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Venue: Estadio La Pintana, Santiago, Chile
Broadcast: ESPN (Latin America), ESPN Brasil
