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January 27 is fast approaching. It is the day in which Uruguay face Canada in Vancouver in the first of two Rugby World Cup qualifiers. The winner, on aggregate, will be Americas 2 and play in Pool D in Japan 2019. Americas Rugby News caught up with Los Teros no 8 Alejandro Nieto to discuss the upcoming series, performances and ramifications.
In 2017 Uruguay completed an away series win against Namibia. Wins also came against Canada, Russia and Spain. How does this compare to Uruguay’s performances from previous years?
The year was very good in terms of results. It was the year in which were finally able to develop the system that we have asked for from our coaches, which I believe is one of the main reasons for success. That is the difference, as in the previous year we were increasingly understanding the system itself and it paid off. Important games that we managed to win made the system secure and in turn our confidence too.
The Estadio Charrúa High Performance Center. How important are the facilities for the progress of players and for the preparation for matches?
They are very important, and they had already played a fundamental role in the qualification for Rugby World Cup 2015. The means of concentrating everything that the player needs to do in one location and doing so in an organized manner results in the player receiving everything for their best preparation and following the progress of the various players selected.
How is the feeling about the return of Rodrigo Capó Ortega?
It is great. Some players had the opportunities to play alongside him in the previous qualifiers against Russia. The feeling is very positive, he is a Class A player and he is going to strengthen us a lot and this will surely impact on our rival in terms of the game and experience.
What does Uruguay need to do to defeat Canada in Vancouver?
We have to apply the proposed strategy. This is what we are training for, to be together in all situations and to capitalize on our opportunities. We have to be complete if we want to go to Japan.
Do Los Teros have an objective for Vancouver? For example, is there a maximum losing margin?
We do not have a margin, we have the objective of the 160 minutes. Scoring more points than them. In terms of the match in Vancouver we know that the home support always lifts the team, so we will know how to play with that factor so that it has as little of an impact as possible.
Are there certain Canadian players that you consider dangerous?
We have seen a lot of Canada. They are a solid team, they have a back-row which works very well, the scrum-half who likes to attack from rucks and in addition there are backs that are used very often for attacking.
12 players played in the corresponding series for RWC 2015. (Lamanna, Ormaechea, Berchesi, Prada, Leivas, Sagario, Magno, Nieto, Gaminara, Vilaseca, Mieres and Pombo). Is it a different time and is there different confidence?
It is a different time indeed, we are more mature. In terms of confidence on both times it was high. Perhaps this time we are backing ourselves a little more because of the series of victories we had in 2017. We are confident, we are very excited and we have a lot of work in front of us. We have approached everything so as to be in the best condition for this series with Canada, all of the players have worked hard, always doing go with the objective in mind.
The prize for the series winner is Americas 2. Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Wales await. Is this discouraging, manageable compared to RWC 2015 or something else?
Personally, the fact of qualifying for the Rugby World Cup is a dream. I am not paying attention to where we are playing, when we are there we are going to analyze it, but certainly with the desire to face every one of them in the group.
Is Pool D a group in which Los Teros are happy about?
Yes, we aim to qualify into this group, it is what we are targeting. Changing the name from Americas 2 to Uruguay.
Alejandro Nieto Serra is an international rugby player for Uruguay. He plays his club rugby for Champagnat in Montevideo. He made his international debut against Argentina in 2012 and currently has 55 caps. He played in all four of Uruguay’s matches in Rugby World Cup 2015. He is 30 years old and plays at no 8. Follow Alejandro on Twitter @AleNietoSerra
