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Chile has been bust preparing for the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifiers. Los Cóndores will face Colombia in a must-win RWC qualifier on Saturday, July 03. The Chileans will have home advantage for the match in which the winner will travel to Montevideo to face Uruguay and the winner of Brazil vs Paraguay.
Chile’s on-field preparations officially started in 2020. Playing as the Chile XV, the team demonstrated significant improvement. The Chile XV defeated the Uruguay XV and the Brazil XV and came agonizingly close to a major upset win over the Argentina XV.
Chile’s investment in High Performance Centers was differential; the players became stronger, fitter, and enhanced their skills. Brazil and Uruguay were both beaten by a Chilean side that they did not see coming.
Chile’s entrant in the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) was predominantly Chilean. 27 of Selknam’s 32 players are Chileans. This made Selknam a team close to the Chilean test side.
Selknam had a solid SLAR campaign. The Chilean side made the Semi Finals. They were beaten in the final four by Peñarol. Earlier in the season Selknam recorded an impressive win over the Uruguayans. Selknam had a solid season. In short, Chile is well prepared to be competitive in the South American regional RWC 2023 qualifiers.
CHILE
| ## | PLAYER | CLUB | POS |
FIRST XV
| 1 | Javier Carrasco | Selknam | LH |
| 2 | Augusto Bohme | Selknam | HK |
| 3 | Matías Dittus | Selknam | TH |
| 4 | Clemente Saavedra | Selknam | LO |
| 5 | Nikola Bursic | NOLA Gold (U.S.) | LO |
| 6 | Ignacio Silva | Selknam | FL |
| 7 | Martín Sigren (capt.) | Selknam | FL |
| 8 | Nicolás Garafulic | Selknam | N8 |
| 9 | Marcelo Torrealba | Austin Gilgronis (U.S.) | SH |
| 10 | Santiago Videla | Selknam | FH |
| 11 | Julio Blanc | Selknam | WI |
| 12 | José Larenas | Selknam | CE |
| 13 | Domingo Saavedra | Selknam | CE |
| 14 | Matías Garafulic | Selknam | WI |
| 15 | Rodrigo Fernández | Selknam | FB |
ARN projects a Selknam-centric team. The two players based abroad both play Major League Rugby (MLR). Marcelo Torrealba featured for the Chile XV in the 2020 South American Championship. The other is Nikola Bursic who has been a regular for Chile.
Bursic joins Clemente Saavedra in the projected second-row while Torrealba appears likely to control the forwards from scrum-half. Torrealba and Santiago Videla loom as the probable halves combination. Videla played both fly half and inside center for Selknam. The remaining five backs are relatively clear based on 2020 and 2021 activities.
Martín Sigren captained the Chile XV in the 2020 South American Championship. Fellow flanker, Ignacio Silva captained Selknam in the 2020 and 2021 SLAR. They are projected as the starting flankers with Nicolás Garafulic slightly ahead of Alfonso Escobar at N8.
Selknam’s scrum impressed in SLAR. Competition for places was fierce and all the players were Chileans. This area was a real strength for the team and it should convert as such for the RWC qualifiers.
REPLACEMENTS
| 16 | Tomás Dussaillant | Selknam | HK |
| 17 | Iñaki Gurruchaga | Selknam | LH |
| 18 | Esteban Inostroza | Selknam | TH |
| 19 | Javier Eissmann | Selknam | LO |
| 20 | Alfonso Escobar | Selknam | FL |
| 21 | Lukas Carvallo | Selknam | SH |
| 22 | Francisco Urroz | Old Reds | FH |
| 23 | Lucca Avelli | Selknam | WI |
A standard replacement bench is expected; five forwards and three backs. The forwards are all Selknam players and all were very busy in the recently completed season. Arguments can be made as why why all of them merit a place in the starting line-up. This furthers the case that this is the best shot that Chile has at qualifying for a first ever RWC since Los Cóndores went close in 2003.
Francisco Urroz is listed at his club of Old Reds. He missed the 2021 SLAR season though was involved in the 2020 campaign. He was the starting fullback against Peñarol and Los Ceibos. He is joined by 2021 Selknam named as the projected replacement backs.
There are some missing names. Top of the list is Ramón Ayarza. The loose head prop was injured in SLAR in March. He will be back in the mix when fit. This likely means that he will be rested against Colombia and on the plane to Uruguay. Another is Salvador Lues. He is in a practical tie for a place with the aforementioned tight heads.
