Chile Roster for July Internationals vs Hong Kong, Belgium and Scotland

Chile begins the new Rugby World Cup cycle in July. Los Cóndores do so with an unprecedented three match home series. Chile have home advantage against Hong Kong, Belgium and Scotland. The matches will take place in Talca, Viña del Mar and Santiago respectively.

Still coached by Pablo Lemoine, the Head Coach from Uruguay has confirmed a 37-man roster. It contains ten players who play their rugby outside of Chile. This is a notable increase to that from the roster that competed at Rugby World Cup 2023. Matías Dittus, Martín Sigren and Iñaki Ayarza were the only players not selected from Selknam.

The ten players based abroad play their rugby in France, Italy, Spain and the USA. Next season will see Diego Escobar playing for Racing 92 in the Top 14. Iñaki Ayarza moves from Charente in the Pro D2 to Vannes in the Top 14. Lucas Berti of Montpellier is also on the July roster.

 

JULY INTERNATIONALS 2024 – CHILEAN FIXTURES

July 06 vs (Estadio Fiscal, Talca)

July 13  vs (Estadio Sausalito, Viña del Mar)

July 20 vs (Estadio Nacional, Santiago)

 

CHILE ROSTER – FORWARDS

LOOSE HEAD PROP
Normal Aguayo (Selknam, uncapped)
Javier Carrasco (Selknam, 22 caps)
Simón Donoso (Selknam, uncapped)
Salvador Lues (Selknam, 15 caps)

HOOKER
Augusto Böhme (NOLA Gold, 25 caps)
Diego Escobar (Racing 92, 7 caps)

TIGHT HEAD PROP
Matías Dittus (Périgueux, 25 caps)
Ignacio González (Selknam, uncapped)
Iñaki Gurruchaga (Selknam, 13 caps)
Baltazar Gurruchaga (Selknam, uncapped)
Vittorio Lastra (Rovigo, 23 caps)

SECOND-ROW
Javier Eissmann (Selknam, 25 caps)
Santiago Pedrero (Selknam, 9 caps)
Bruno Sáez (Charante, uncapped)
Clemente Saavedra (Selknam, 24 caps)

BACK-ROW
Alfonso Escobar (Selknam, 22 caps)
Andrés Kuzmanic (Selknam, uncapped)
Raimundo Martínez (Selknam, 14 caps)
Joaquín Milesi (Real Ciencias, 3 caps)
Martín Sigren (New England Free Jacks, 31 caps)
Ernesto Tchimin (Selknam, uncapped)
Inti Úbeda (Selknam, 1 cap)

 

CHILE ROSTER – BACKS

SCRUM-HALF
Lucas Berti (Montpellier, uncapped)
Marcelo Torrealba (Selknam, 15 caps)
Benjamín Videla (Selknam, 2 caps)

FLY HALF
Rodrigo Fernández (Petrarca, 27 caps)
Tomás Salas (Selknam, 2 caps)
Diego Warnken (Los Cóndores, uncapped)

CENTER
Clemente Armstrong (Selknam, uncapped)
Nicolás Saab (Selknam, uncapped)
Domingo Saavedra (Selknam, 28 caps)

WING
Cristóbal Game (Selknam, 2 caps)
Nicolás Garafulic (Selknam, 19 caps)
José Ignacio Larenas (Selknam, 50 caps)
Santiago Videla (Miami Sharks, 28 caps)

FULLBACK
Iñaki Ayarza (Vannes, 18 caps)
Lucas Strabucchi (Selknam, uncapped)

 

MISSING NAMES

Hooker Tomás Dussaillant recently announced his retirement. Surprisingly, this has not seen a new cap on the roster. There are just two specialist hookers. Augusto Sarmiento is also missing. He was busy for Selknam. With him out it is likely that Clemente Saavedra will predominantly feature in the second-row rather than at flanker.

Scrum-half also sees Benjamín Videla and Marcelo Torrealba joined by the uncapped Lucas Berti. He has converted from center to scrum-half, playing in the latter for Montpellier espoirs this season. His inclusion comes with Nicolás Herreros not selected. Utility Santiago Videla is listed as wing though could play fullback, inside center or fly half.

Dussaillant is not the only World Cup Cóndor now retired. Players no longer active include second-rower Pablo Huete, flanker Ignacio Silva and fullback Francisco Urroz.

Center Matías Garafulic is a notable absentee. He was injured playing for Selknam early on in the season. A second center, Pablo Casas, now plays his rugby in Romania. He has not been selected for the July Internationals.

UNCAPPED PLAYERS

Pablo Lemoine has included a wide range of new players. Hooker and wing are the only positions without an uncapped player. Meanwhile, Lucas Berti is listed as a scrum-half. He was a center previously.

Uncapped Selknam props Normal Aguayo, Simón Donoso, Ignacio González, and Baltazar Gurruchaga are all included. Second-rower Bruno Sáez is a prospect. Sáez is 2.02 meters tall and weighs 112 kg. Additional uncapped forwards are back-rowers Andrés Kuzmanic and Ernesto Tchimin.

Sevens player Diego Warnken joins regular starter Rodrigo Fernández and Selknam’s Tomás Salas as the fly half options. Warnken has played for the Chile XV but is uncapped. Fullback Lucas Strabucchi is uncapped but experienced in other Chilean representative teams. Centers Clemente Armstrong, and Nicolás Saab are also all uncapped. Sabb impressed in his rookie Super Rugby Americas season.

 

FOREIGN-BORN AND HOMEGROWN PLAYERS

Chile was the only debutant at Rugby World Cup 2023; in fact, Los Cóndores were the first new team since Russia at Rugby World Cup 2011. Chile’s roster for the tournament was completely homegrown. All players that won qualifying matches against Brazil, Canada and the USA are products of Chile’s domestic system.

New selection, Lucas Berti is the son of Sebastian Berti who played for Chile from 2001-2006, earning 9 caps. Sebastián Berti is a native of Santiago while Lucas Berti was born in England. He was schooled at Newbridge College in Ireland and played for Leinster academy. He also played for Universidad Católica and Old Reds in Chile.

He subsequently moved to Bristol in England where he was a u18 champion with the Bristol Bears, playing inside center. He moved to Montpellier in France aged 18 where he converted to scrum-half. He was approached to play for Italy and featured in a camp in 2022.