Selknam Rise to the Challenge of Dogos

Los Dogos perfect record in Super Rugby Americas 2024 is no more. Selknam scored well beyond the regulation time of 80 minutes for a 23-23 draw. However, this was not a match that Selknam were fortunate to snatch away with a draw; rather, the Chilean side was the better team on the day and Los Dogos were a shadow of the side from all prior matches in 2024.

The Córdoba side scored two tries yet never carried the ball over the line to dot it down. Selknam had two disallowed tries. In addition, Simon Larrubia ruled a Selknam attack to be obstruction when, in fact, a Chilean player was pushed by an Argentine and there were three Selknam players yellow carded in the match. Larrubia will not be on Chilean rugby supporters’ Christmas Card list.

Fly halves Felipe Méndez and Valentino Dicapua exchanges penalties on two occasions early on in the contest. The 6-6 deadlock was a fair representation of the opening 22 minutes of rugby played in Córdoba.

Los Dogos were awarded a string of attacking penalties. The outcome was a yellow card to Selknam tight head prop Iñaki Gurruchaga. Two tries were conceded with him off. First, Lautaro Simes reached over a ruck to touch the ball which was on the ground inside the Selknam try zone. Second, Los Dogos won a penalty try which saw Gurruchaga’s temporary replacement, Ignacio González, yellow carded.

Down 20-6 at half-time, a frustrated Selknam needed some luck in the second-half. A break came in the 44th minute; Dogos flanker Lorenzo Colidio was yellow carded for shoulder to head contact while attempting a tackle. Alfonso Escobar ran in an impressive try to close the gap.

Selknam looked to score again. They succeeded but there was also two disallowed tries. Before the Chilean side scored again, replacement Juan Bautista Baronio slotted a penalty for the home side. Baronio’s accuracy was not sharp as he missed two later shots at goal.

While the uncapped Felipe Méndez looked up to the challenge of playing fly half, he too was not accurate enough with his goal-kicking. This was a leading factor as to why Selknam caught up to Los Dogos through tries. Veteran test hooker Tomás Dussaillant responded to Baronio’s penalty with a try in the 64th minute.

Baronio’s unsuccessful kicks at goal followed and Dussaillant was yellow carded together with Lautaro Cipriani. Dussaillant pulled an opponent’s hair on the floor one second before Cipriani performed a no-arms tackle on Marcelo Torrealba.

The final 10 minutes saw Selknam continuing to attack. Los Dogos lost Pumita Efrain Elías to what was the team’s third yellow card. Captain Clemente Saavedra then turned out to be the inspiration and the hero. Having made multiple clean line-breaks during the match, Saavedra borrowed over for a try five minutes after the end of regulation time.  Chilean U19 Sebastián Bianchi landed the conversion with time up.

Following the break for Easter, Selknam will make the trip north to the Mile High City. The Chileans face the American Raptors in Denver, Colorado on April 07. Los Dogos travel to Montevideo to face Peñarol on April 05.

SCORING

DOGOS (23)
Try – L Simes (29′); Penalty Try (34′)
Con – V Dicapua (30′); No Kick (34′)
Pen – V Dicapua (13′, 22′); JB Baronio (62′)
YC – L Colidio (44′); L Cipriani (70′); E Elías (80′)

SELKNAM (23)
Try – A Escobar (45′); T Dussaillant (64′); C Saavedra (85′)
Con – S Bianchi (86′)
Pen – F Méndez (9′, 16′)
YC – I Gurruchaga (26′); Ignacio González (34′); T Dussaillant (70′)

LINEUPS

DOGOS
1 Francisco Aguirre, 2 Tomás Bartolini, 3 Pedro Delgado, 4 Lautaro Simes, 5 Franco Molina (capt.), 6 Felipe Villagrán, 7 Lorenzo Colidio, 8 Efraín Elías, 9 Agustín Moyano, 10 Valentino Di Capua, 11 Nahuel Romero, 12 Felipe Mallía, 13 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 14 Lautaro Cipriani, 15 Mateo Soler

Replacements: 16 Boris Wegner, 17 Diego Correa, 18 Octavio Filippa, 19 Gregorio Hernández, 20 Valentín Cabral, 21 Nicolás Viola, 22 Juan Bautista Baronio, 23 Agustín de Vertíz

SELKNAM
1 Simón Donoso, 2 Diego Escobar, 3 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 4 Santiago Pedrero, 5 Javier Eissmann, 6 Alfonso Escobar, 7 Clemente Saavedra (capt.), 8 Raimundo Martínez, 9 Rafael Iriarte, 10 Felipe Méndez, 11 José Larenas, 12 Martín Dumay, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Nicolás Saab, 15 Luca Strabucchi

Replacements: 16 Tomás Dussailant, 17 Javier Carrasco, 18 Ignacio González, 19 Federico Albrisi, 20 Ernesto Tchimino, 21 Marcelo Torrealba, 22 Sebastián Bianchi, 23 Nicolás Garafulic

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

OFFICIALS

Referee: Simon Larrubia (AR)
Assistants: Tomás Ninci; Juan Pablo Chumbita
TMO: Gustavo Paulin