Chile roster for RWC 2023 qualifiers

Chile’s roster for the upcoming RWC 2023 qualifiers has been confirmed. Los Cóndores will face Colombia in a must-win match on Saturday, July 03. The winner will advance to the South American finals. They will do so alongside the winner of Brazil vs Paraguay to play in a Tri Nations against Uruguay.

Chilean head coach Pablo Lemoine has gone for 35 players. The roster is centered on Selknam’s squad from the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). 30 of the 35 men are based in Chile. The others play their rugby in France, Spain and in Major League Rugby (MLR).

The players selected from abroad are Iñaki Ayarza from Charente in France, Major League Rugby pair Nikola Bursic from NOLA Gold and Marcelo Torrealba from the Austin Gilgronis, and Nicolás Herreros and Augusto Sarmiento who both play for Aparejadores in Spain.

Martín Sigren will captain the side. He will have support from his Selknam back row partner Ignacio Silva. The players held down starting positions in SLAR. They were joined by Nicolás Garafulic and Alfonso Escobar. All four are on the roster. Three of them are certain starters against Colombia with the fourth also certain to be involved as a replacement.

Chile is chasing a first appearance at a RWC. Los Cóndores XV came close in the RWC 2003 qualifiers, beating the USA 21-13 and Uruguay 10-6. The 2021 team is arguably the strongest since then; High Performance Centers have made Chile a force again in South America.

CHILE ROSTER – RWC 2023 QUALIFIERS

PROP
Javier Carrasco (Old Reds / Selknam), Matías Dittus (UC / Selknam), Iñaki Gurruchaga (Old Johns / Selknam), Esteban Inostroza (PWCC / Selknam), Salvador Lues (COBS / Selknam)

HOOKER
Augusto Böhme (UC / Selknam), Tomás Dussaillant (Old Boys / Selknam), Diego Escobar (COBS), Raimundo Martínez (PWCC / Selknam)

SECOND ROW
Nikola Bursic (NOLA Gold, US), Javier Eissmann (UC / Selknam), Santiago Pedrero (COBS / Selknam), Clemente Saavedra (Old Boys / Selknam), Augusto Sarmiento (Aparejadores, ES)

BACK ROW
Alfonso Escobar (COBS / Selknam), Nicolás Garafulic (COBS / Selknam), Thomas Orchard (Old Lions / Selknam), Agustín Pérez (Sporting), Martín Sigren (Old Boys / Selknam), Ignacio Silva (PWCC / Selknam)

SCRUMHALF
Lukas Carvallo (PWCC / Selknam), Nicolás Herreros (Aparejadores, ES), Marcelo Torrealba (Austin Gilgronis, US)

FLYHALF
Tomás Alvarado (Old Boys), Francisco Urroz (Old Reds), Santiago Videla (Old Boys / Selknam)

CENTER
Clemente Armstrong (DOBS), Iñaki Ayarza (Charente, FR), Felipe Berry (Old Boys), José Ignacio Larenas (UC / Selknam), Domingo Saavedra (Old Boys / Selknam)

WING
Rodrigo Gajardo (Sporting), Matías Garafulic (COBS / Selknam), Franco Velarde (Viña / Selknam)

FULLBACK
Rodrigo Fernández (COBS / Selknam)