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The pieces are falling into place for Uruguay. Los Teros preparations for Rugby World Cup 2023 are unlike those from 2019 and 2015. This time the player base is entirely professional. Players are now finalizing or have already finalized their seasons.
Los Teros are an entirely homegrown team. Every player is a product of the Uruguayan domestic system. It became High Performance in the months before RWC 2019. Since then Peñarol has become a powerhouse in professional South American rugby.
Uruguay’s player base will be Peñarol dominated but has two additional vital pieces. First, players who play their professional rugby abroad. Second, members of Uruguay’s 7’s side. The three form a triangular relationship. They combine to have Uruguay in the healthiest ever state heading into a Rugby World Cup.
Between now and the tournament Esteban Meneses’ roster for the World Cup will be fine-tuned. There will be one-on-one, or greater, battles for places on the roster; in fact, there are multiple positions where tough choices will have to be made.
The enlargement from 31 to 33 players per roster means more specialists in certain positions. In past Rugby World Cups some teams have gone for two hookers and scrum-halves. For RWC 2023 both are expected to see three for each. Three will also be the number for both loose head and tight head.
Scrum-half is a position where Meneses has to make a big decision. Santiago Arata is Uruguay’s leading player and is truly world-class. Two of Agustín Ormaechea, Santiago Álvarez, Tomás Inciarte and Juan Manuel Tafernaberry will join him. There is a case to suggest that Álvarez is Uruguay’s next best; he has been excellent for Peñarol in Super Rugby Americas.
Back-row is another position of note. Manuel Diana and Manuel Ardao are certainties. Who will join Los Manuel’s? Santiago Civetta is returning now following surgery while Eric Dosantos has had injury seat-backs during the season. This has enabled Carlos Dias and Lucas Bianchi to receive regular game plan. Both have impressed. They look ready for the World Cup.
A minimum of six back-rowers will make the roster. In addition to the aforementioned names is the Peñarol trio of Agustín Morales, Juan Manuel Rodríguez and Felipe Aliaga. Of note is that they are being prepared as second-rowers. Add in comparable foreign-based players Diego Magno and Franco Lamanna and the competition for places is vivid.
Uruguay will have plenty of time both on and off the field to put the pieces into place. The players will begin their preparations together in Montevideo on June 28. Meneses’ plans are advanced. He has identified eight players from Europe and hooker Facundo Gattas from Major League Rugby. They will join Los Teros 7’s players and Super Rugby Americas players.
In addition to Gattas, Diego Magno and Juan Echeverría are US-based in 2023. Magno and Echeverría play for the American Raptors. Meneses’ eight names based in Europe are German Kessler (Provence, FR), Manuel Leindekar (Bayonne, FR), Franco Lamanna (Mogliano, IT), Felipe Berchesi (Dax, FR), Agustín Ormaechea (Nice, FR), Santiago Arata (Castres, FR), Nicolás Freitas (Vannes, FR) and Teros’ captain Andrés Vilaseca (Vannes, FR).
Preparations will begin with physical training. A three week training camp will conclude with the naming of a roster for Uruguay’s Rugby World Cup warm-up matches. Los Teros will play at home against the Argentina XV, Chile, and Namibia.
The warm-up matches will be followed by rest and the naming of the 33-man World Cup roster. It will be Meneses’ second World Cup with Los Teros. The unforgettable win over Fiji in Kamaishi, Japan has contributed to increased expectation for Uruguay at RWC 2023.
Uruguay are aiming high. Los Teros are looking to go one better than in 2019. The team is targeting pool wins against Namibia and Italy. It is a high target but one that ought not be described as an exaggeration. Indeed, it would be hard to find an objetive pundit who would not say that a team that defeated Fiji in 2019 ought not target beating Italy in 2023.
For Uruguay the prize is double history. First, Los Teros 2023 could become the first Uruguayan team to win multiple matches at a Rugby World Cup. Second, two wins would most likely see the team securing third spot in their pool and thus qualifying directly for Rugby World Cup 2027.
