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Chile have confirmed their touring squad for their historic November international fixtures. Los Cóndores will play three matches in Hong Kong in the Regal Hotels Cup of Nations before heading to Europe for a one-off test against Germany.
Four players from the 31-man provisional squad will not make the trip: tighthead prop Ernesto Ugarte, flankers Alfonso Escobar and Axel Scheel, and scrumhalf Beltrán Vergara.
The absence of Escobar and Scheel suggest that former San Diego Breakers utility forward Nikola Bursic will primarily be considered at his preferred No 8 position rather than at lock. Mario Mayol and Raimundo Piwonka are set to form an experienced second row unit.
New caps include World Rugby u20 representatives Domingo Saavedra and Santiago Videla, props Sebastián Otero and Marco Díaz, hooker Ignacio Guajardo, second row Bastián Burguener, centre Javier Lavanderos, and outside back Matías Balbontín.
Videla, 19, is set to challenge 33-year-old Benjamín Pizarro for the starting flyhalf position while Saavedra, also 19, is one of three scrumhalves included along with Sergio Bascuñan and former Cóndores skipper Juan Pablo Perrotta.
The side will be led by José Ignacio Larenas, who will have four players alongside who have previously captained the Condores. Perrotta was captain during the 2015 campaign while Benjamín Soto was given the armband in 2016. Javier Richard stood in for Soto in the second test against South Korea last November while Claudio Zamorano captained the side against Brazil in the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship opener.
A detailed squad list can be seen here.
FORWARDS
Vittorio Lastra (Valsugana, IT), Sebastián Otero (Los Troncos), Claudio Zamorano (Stade Francais), Tomás Dussaillant (Old Boys), Ignacio Guajardo (Old Macks), Marco Díaz (Old Macks), José Tomás Munita (Uni Católica), Bastián Burguener (Sporting), Mario Mayol (Old Boys), Raimundo Piwonka (PWCC), Nikola Bursic (COBS), Manuel Dagnino (Old Macks), Anton Petrowitsch (AA Coimbra, PT), Javier Richard (COBS), Benjamín Soto (Stade Francais)
BACKS
Sergio Bascuñan (Old Macks), Juan Pablo Perrotta (Uni Católica), Domingo Saavedra (Old Boys), Benjamín Pizarro (Uni Católica), Santiago Videla (Old Boys), Francisco de la Fuente (Barcelona, ES), José Ignacio Larenas (capt., Uni Católica), Javier Lavanderos (Sporting), Mauricio Urrutia (Sporting), Franco Velarde (Barcelona, ES), Matías Balbontín (Old Macks), Tomás Ianiszewski (Old Locks)
FIXTURES
Nov 10 – vs Kenya – King’s Park, Hong Kong
Nov 14 – vs Hong Kong – King’s Park, Hong Kong
Nov 18 – vs Russia – HKFC Stadium, Hong Kong
Nov 25 – vs Germany – Sparda Bank Stadion, Offenbach
