Guatemala have a new Head Coach of their national men’s team. Chilean referee Francisco Saavedra is has arrived in Guatemala to take charge of the test team. Saavedra and his wife are now settling down to their new lives. The move is Saavedra’s first foreign employment experience in rugby.
Despite being geographically located in North America, Guatemala is a member of Sudamérica Rugby and Guatemala competes in the South American championship. Guatemala was the host nation for the 2018 South American B Championship. The competition was a Four Nations tournament that included Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru, and Venezuela. It ended up being a Tri Nations due to Venezuela’s players not obtaining visas to enter the country.
Guatemala warmed-up for the tournament with a 28-22 win over El Salvador . In the tournament Guatemala were 18-12 winners over Costa Rica but were beaten 34-0 by champions Peru.
Guatemala’s men’s team are presently ranked 21st in the Americas Rankings. They are the highest ranked Central American Republic ahead of Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador.
El Sr. Saavedra y su esposa han llegado al país centroamericano @RugbyGua #Rugby #AmericaCrece pic.twitter.com/5B6cuWef43
— En La Melé Podcast (@EnLaMele) April 13, 2021