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Two teams will square off in Langford on Saturday but only one will continue on the path to potential World Cup qualification when they wrap up the series in Valparaiso next weekend. Canada hosts Chile at Starlight Stadium in a rematch of a series last played in 2002.
On that occasion Canada won both matches in convincing fashion, and indeed Chile have never beaten the North Americans. All four meetings during the Americas Rugby Championship were decisive wins including two that had winning margins of over 50 points.
Much has changed in the two-plus years since their most recent test however. Los Cóndores have embraced professionalism with the majority of their side featuring for Selknam in the South American Súper Liga. High performance centers have been established in the country and recent results suggest the efforts have paid off.
After winning just one out of 20 games during their four-year run in the ARC, Chile very nearly swept last year’s South American 4 Nations and came within inches of upsetting Uruguay in July. An eye-catching result came just two weeks ago when they knocked off an Argentina XV for the first time in Santiago.
Head Coach Pablo Lemoine has instilled confidence in his men and has not been afraid to make bold selections. Earlier this year he opted to move his 6’4″ (1.93m) eightman Nicolás Garafulic to the wing. Installed at the back of the scrum is Alfonso Escobar, a significantly smaller man but with the agility and ball handling skills of a midfield back.
With outstanding loose forward Ignacio Silva cruelly rupturing his Achilles tendon against Los Teros, Lemoine again rolled the dice by selecting former Brive Academy hooker Raimundo Martínez on the flank. The 21-year-old has similar physical proportions to Silva and impressed enough against the Argentines to get the nod for his first test start.
In the second row Lemoine has chosen the abrasive Clemente Saavedra to partner Javier Eissmann rather than tyro Santiago Pedrero, who settles for a spot on the bench with his first cap now imminent. Eissmann will be the tallest man on the pitch at 6’7″ (2.01m) and could cause some concern to Canada’s lineout.
Vittorio Lastra returns from Europe to bolster the side at loosehead prop in the absence of the injured Ramón Ayarza. The immovable Matías Dittus anchors the scrum at tighthead, with captain Martín Sigren among the standout back rowers in SLAR this season. Of note is the presence of six forwards on the bench, with both reserve backs plying their trade in Europe.
There is a one unexpected selection in the backline as Rodrigo Fernandez is preferred at flyhalf with Santiago Videla named at fullback. The two have more often been used in the opposite positions. Midfielders Matías Garafulic and Domingo Saavedra make it two sets of brothers in the side.
Canada produced a vintage performance to stun the USA in St. John’s but then fell flat in Glendale to see their Americas 1 hopes slip away. Kingsley Jones has nonetheless opted to keep the faith with only three changes to the run-on side.
Eric Howard and Tyler Rowland come into the front row with Andrew Quattrin dropping to the bench and Castres tighthead Matt Tierney left out entirely. Jake Ilnicki is recalled to take up a spot on among the reserves. Kyle Baillie is back to full fitness and starts at lock with Conor Keys swapping jerseys.
Several of Canada’s top players are missing with flyhalf Peter Nelson the only European professional in the match day squad. World Cup starters Evan Olmstead and Tyler Ardron remain with their clubs in France while no further reinforcements have been summoned from the World Sevens Series roster.
Despite Canada sitting seven spots higher than Chile on the World Rugby Rankings this should be a very competitive series, with an upset not out of the question for the Condores. This is their best ever opportunity to qualify for the World Cup but they are a young side who are as of yet unproven when significant travel is involved.
On form the Canadians appear vulnerable but with ample time to prepare should be considered favorites at home. Winning in Chile, however, is not so assured and building a reasonable buffer in the first leg will be of the utmost importance. Cool but fair conditions on the forecast should not effect the outcome.
Kickoff is set for 5pm local time, 8pm Eastern, 9pm in Santiago. A live broadcast will be available to viewers in Canada on Premier Sports, while supporters of the visitors can access the game on Chilevisión.
CANADA
1 Djustice Sears-Duru, 2 Eric Howard, 3 Tyler Rowland, 4 Corey Thomas, 5 Kyle Baillie, 6 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 7 Matt Heaton, 8 Siaki Vikilani, 9 Ross Braude, 10 Peter Nelson, 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Spencer Jones, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Brock Webster, 15 Cooper Coats
Replacements: 16 Andrew Quattrin, 17 Cole Keith, 18 Jake Ilnicki, 19 Conor Keys, 20 Michael Smith, 21 Jason Higgins, 22 Robbie Povey, 23 Patrick Parfrey
CHILE
1 Vittorio Lastra, 2 Augusto Böhme, 3 Matías Dittus, 4 Clemente Saavedra, 5 Javier Eissmann, 6 Martín Sigren (capt.), 7 Raimundo Martínez, 8 Alfonso Escobar, 9 Marcelo Torrealba, 10 Rodrigo Fernández, 11 Franco Velarde, 12 Matías Garafulic, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Nicolás Garafulic, 15 Santiago Videla
Replacements: 16 Tomás Dussaillant, 17 Javier Carrasco, 18 Salvador Lues, 19 Augusto Sarmiento, 20 Santiago Pedrero, 21 Thomas Orchard, 22 Nicolás Herreros, 23 Iñaki Ayarza
Date: Saturday, October 2
Venue: Starlight Stadium, Langford
Kickoff: 17:00 local (20:00 Eastern, 21:00 Santiago)
Referee: Chris Busby (Ireland)
Assistants: Sean Gallagher (Ireland) & Moe Chaudhry (Canada)
TMO: Chris Assmus (Canada)
Broadcasts: Premier Sports (Canada), Chilevisión (Chile)
RECENT RESULTS
2019-02-02 – Canada 56, Chile 0 (Westhills Stadium, Langford)
2018-03-03 – Chile 17, Canada 33 (Estadio de La Pintana, Santiago)
2017-02-11 – Canada 36, Chile 15 (Westhills Stadium, Langford)
2016-03-06 – Chile 13, Canada 64 (Estadio de La Pintana, Santiago)
