Uruguay overcame the threat of Chile on Saturday to win the South American ‘A’ Championship. In doing so Uruguay also eliminated Chile from the Rugby World Cup 2019 qualifiers.
The fixture was the second of two between the countries in 2017. The Americas Rugby Championship has seen them now playing twice rather than once a year. This has served to increase the rivalry and to have the teams better prepared than in the past.
Both teams have benefited from being involved in the Six Nations competition. Exposure to a competition lasting more than one month involving a range of opponents has changed the landscape for both Los Teros and Los Cóndores.
Uruguay’s High Performance Center and investment in the players has helped the country adjust well. It saw Uruguay get through the South American RWC qualification matches with three notable wins.
Next up will be either Canada or the USA. Uruguay is to face the runner-up of the North American RWC 2019 qualifiers. The home-and-away series will see the winner qualifying for Japan 2019 as Americas 2. The loser will have one last chance by qualifying via repechage.
For a complete match report click here.