Chile national rugby union team

Chile

Nickname(s)	Los Condores
Emblem	Andean condor
Union	Chilean Rugby Federation
Head coach	Elías Santillán
Captain	Benjamín Soto
Most caps	Cristian Onetto (65)
Top scorer	Cristian González (192)
Home stadium	Estadio Municipal de La Pintana Parque Mahuida Centro de Alto Rendimiento
First colours Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current	28 (as of 15 May 2016)
Highest	23 (2003-05, 2007, 2009-12, 2015)
Lowest	30 (2015, 2016)
First international
Chile 0–29 Argentina (18 September 1936)
Biggest win
Chile 102–0 Paraguay (5 May 2003)
Biggest defeat
Chile 6–89 Argentina (20 May 2009)
World Cup
Appearances	0
Website	www.feruchi.cl

The Chile national rugby union team, nicknamed Los Cóndores, represents Chile in the sport of international rugby union. The team, which plays in red jerseys and blue shorts, is organized by the Chilean Rugby Federation (Federación de Rugby de Chile). As of 2015, Chile has not qualified for a Rugby World Cup.

Chile was the first South American nation outside of Argentina to play international rugby union, playing their first international test against Argentina in 1936 in Santiago. Chile is one of the founding members of CONSUR, now known as Sudamérica Rugby, in 1989, alongside Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Chile has long been participating in the South American Rugby Championship since 1951, and has consistently been the third or second best team in South America. In 2016, Chile, alongside the unions of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the United States, and Uruguay, formed the Americas Rugby Championship, aimed at increasing the standard of rugby union in the Americas.

The sport has historic connections to the Scottish community in the country. In 2012, two Scottish-Chilean players, Donald and Ian Campbell, were inducted into the IRB (now World Rugby) Hall of Fame.

History

Early History (1890s - 1959)

Rugby was introduced in Chile roughly around the late 19th century, as it was in other parts of South America by British immigrants who arrived in ports.^[1] The first recorded rugby game taking place on Chilean soil was in 1894, from British immigrants who lived in both Santiago, Iquique and Valparaíso. Until the 1930s, the game was initially mostly played by the British-descended community of Chile.^[2] In 1935, the Chilean Rugby Federation was founded.

Chile's first ever fixtures were against Argentina in September 1936, a two-game series played in the capital Santiago. Chile lost both of their games by scorelines of 0 to 20 and 3 to 31, respectively. Chile would visit Argentina in 1938 in Buenos Aires, losing 3 to 33. Chile would not play another fixture until 1948, where they beat Uruguay 21 to 3 in Buenos Aires.

The Chilean team began competing more consistently in the 1950s. In 1951, Chile played the first South American Rugby Championship against Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina in 1951; Chile finished third, beating Brazil by a margin of 68 to nil, but losing to both Uruguay and Argentina. In 1952, Chile received Ireland on tour, but in Santiago 30 to 0. Chile would play another Five Nations side, this time France on tour, but lost 34-3. In 1958, Chile participated in the second South American Rugby Championship, finishing second; Chile easily beat both Peru and Uruguay before falling to Argentina, finishing second.

1960s - 1980s

By the 1960s Chile saw itself established as a middle contender in South America. Chile were consistently beating sides like Brazil and Uruguay, but couldn't breakthrough against the mighty Argentina. In 1966, Chile received the Springboks, their first test against a SANZAR side, but lost 72 to 0. During the 1970s Chile didn't play any non-South American competition; for the most part Chile were finishing second or third in South America, usually beating Brazil and newcomers Paraguay, and dog fighting for second against Uruguay. In the 1980s, former coach of France Jean-Pierre Juanchich took over administration of rugby in Chile, which led to better promotion, awareness, and improvement in Chilean rugby. In 1989, a proper governing body for rugby in South America, CONSUR, was formed.

1990s - 2000s

Chile formally joined the International Rugby Board in 1991, allowing Chile to participate formally in World Cup competitions. In 1993, Chile participated in its first ever World Cup Qualifying competition in 1993, entering qualifying for the 1995 Rugby World Cup; however, they lost all their fixtures to Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, finishing bottom of the group. In 1995, Chile played Spain, winning 28 - 23.

The 1999 Rugby World Cup qualifying campaign was more successful. Chile easily swept through a group containing the teams of Bermuda and Trinidad and Tobago. However, Chile lost 14 to 20 against Uruguay, therefore missing out on a repechage spot, and potentially a spot in the World Cup.

In 2000, Chile came within 2 points of defeating Argentina. This improved form would continue through the early 2000s, easily disposing of Brazil in their first qualifier for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. In the final round, a round robin containing Canada, Uruguay, and the United States, the Chileans won their first home fixture versus Uruguay before losing their next two to the USA and Canada. Despite this, Chile recorded an upset, defeating the United States 21 to 13 in Santiago. Despite being improved, Chile dropped their next two games, finishing the campaign with 2 wins and 4 losses. Unfortunately for Chile, they finished bottom on try difference, yet again missing out on a repechage spot, and potential qualification.

The 2007 qualifiers were mostly the same song as the previous campaigns; Chile swept their first round against Paraguay and Brazil but in the final group lost both their games to Argentina and Uruguay, which once again would have secured a repechage at least, and potentially an automatic spot in the World Cup.

The 2011 campaign was short-lived, having automatically been seeded into Round 3A of the qualifiers in the new format. Chile cruised to victory versus Brazil but once again lost to familiar foes Uruguay, and once again missing out on a potential repechage or automatic qualifier.

2010-present

In 2010, Chile nearly started the new decade with a bang, coming very close to defeating Oceania powerhouse Tonga, but losing 32–30. The following year in 2011, Chile beat Uruguay for the first time in nine years, winning 21–18 and finishing second in the South American Championship.

The decade has been marked by inconsistency in results. In 2013, Chile began their qualifying campaign, opening up with a victory versus Brazil, but yet again lost to foes Uruguay, following the same pattern of results since the 1999 campaign. In 2014, Chile reached a bottom point; in the 2014 South American Championship, they finished bottom of the group, losing to Brazil for the first time in their history. Chile were also wooden spooners in the 2014 CONSUR Cup, the new competition featuring Argentina and the top 2 sides in South America. However, the following year, Chile won the South American Championship for the first time in their history, cruising through both Brazil and Paraguay before defeating Uruguay at home 30–15.

In 2016, Chile participated in the first Americas Rugby Championship in its current format. Chile squeaked a home win versus Brazil, before playing a close game against Argentina before tiring out in the last 20 minutes, ultimately losing 52–15. Chile were blown out by the United States in Fort Lauderdale 64–0 before nearly beating Uruguay, losing 20–23. Chile lost their last game at home versus Canada, 64–13, finishing bottom in the inaugural edition.

Record

Overall Record

World Rugby Rankings
Top 30 rankings as of 5 December 2016[3]
Rank	Change*	Team	Points
1		New Zealand	94.78
2		England	89.84
3		Australia	86.97
4		Ireland	84.62
5	1	Wales	82.55
6	1	South Africa	81.79
7		Scotland	80.67
8		France	80.13
9		Argentina	79.91
10		Fiji	76.46
11		Japan	74.22
12		Georgia	74.14
13		Italy	72.47
14	1	Tonga	71.94
15	1	Samoa	71.25
16		Romania	69.36
17		United States	64.66
18		Canada	63.95
19		Russia	63.25
20		Namibia	62.78
21		Uruguay	60.66
22		Spain	60.17
23		Kenya	59.28
24		Germany	58.99
25		Portugal	56.97
26		Belgium	56.87
27		Hong Kong	56.50
28		South Korea	55.50
29		Chile	55.08
30		Netherlands	54.93
*Change from the previous week

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
Argentina	37	0	37	0	0.00%	243	1716	−1473
Argentina XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	15	52	−37
Bermuda	1	1	0	0	100.00%	65	8	+57
Brazil	23	20	1	2	86.95%	809	247	+562
Canada	3	0	3	0	0.00%	30	120	−90
England Counties XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	21	33	−12
Fiji	1	0	1	0	0.00%	16	41	−25
France XV	2	0	2	0	0.00%	6	56	−50
Georgia	2	1	1	0	50.00%	36	53	−17
Ireland XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	0	30	−30
Paraguay	25	24	1	0	96.00%	974	253	+721
Peru	2	2	0	0	100.00%	62	31	+30
Portugal	3	0	3	0	0.00%	49	87	−38
Spain	5	2	3	0	40.00%	86	151	−65
South Africa XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	0	73	−73
Emerging Springboks	1	0	1	0	0.00%	0	73	−73
Tonga	1	0	1	0	0.00%	30	32	−2
Trinidad and Tobago	1	1	0	0	100.00%	35	6	+29
United States	3	1	2	0	33.33%	43	112	−69
Uruguay	44	14	30	1	33.81%	676	960	−284
Venezuela	1	1	0	0	100.00%	95	3	+92
Total	159	68	88	3	42.76%	3291	4137	−870

World Cup Record

World Cup record									World Cup Qualification record
Year	Round	P	W	D	L	F	A		P	W	D	L	F	A
1987	Not invited								-
1991	Did not enter								Did not enter
1995	Did not qualify								3	0	0	3	37	109
1999	Did not qualify								4	3	0	1	168	40
2003	Did not qualify								8	4	0	4	217	155
2007	Did not qualify								4	2	0	2	121	138
2011	Did not qualify								2	1	0	1	88	49
2015	Did not qualify								4	2	0	2	92	78
2019	To be determined								To be determined
Total	0/8	0	0	0	0	0	0		25	12	0	13	723	569

South American Rugby Championship record

• 1951 - Runners-up
• 1958 - Runners-up
• 1961 - Runners-up
• 1964 - Fourth place
• 1967 - Runners-up
• 1969 - Runners-up
• 1971 - Runners-up
• 1973 - Third place
• 1975 - Runners-up
• 1977 - Third place
• 1979 - Runners-up
• 1981 - Runners-up
• 1983 - Third place
• 1985 - Third place
• 1987 - Third place
• 1989 - Third place
• 1991 - Third place
• 1993 - Fourth place
• 1995 - Third place
• 1997 - Third place
• 1998 - Third place
• 2000 - Third place
• 2001 - Third place
• 2002 - Third place
• 2003 - Third place
• 2004 - Third place
• 2005 - Third place
• 2006 - Third place
• 2007 - Third place
• 2008 - Third place
• 2009 - Third place
• 2010 - Third place
• 2011 - Runners-up
• 2012 - Third place
• 2013 - Third place
• 2014 - Fourth place
• 2015 - First place
• 2016 - TBD

Sudamérica Rugby Cup/CONSUR Cup record

• 2014 - Third place
• 2015 - Did not participate
• 2016 - TBD

Kit

The home kit consists of a red jersey and blue shorts adopted from the colors of the Chilean flag, and the away kit consists of a blue jersey and shorts. The crest features the logo of the Federación de Rugby de Chile. The current national team kit is manufacturer by Mitre Sports International. The team is currently sponsored by Peugeot.

Current squad

Chile's 26-man squad for the 2016 Americas Rugby Championship.^[4]

Head Coach: Elías Santillán

• Caps Updated: 5 February 2016

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player Position Date of Birth (Age) Caps Club/province Dussaillant, TomásTomás Dussaillant Hooker 26 April 1986 0 Old Boys Moya, RodrigoRodrigo Moya Hooker 30 September 1982 0 PWCC Ayarza, José RamónJosé Ramón Ayarza Prop 28 August 1993 4 La Voulte-Valence de La Fuente, SergioSergio de La Fuente Prop 31 July 1986 48 Waipu Munita, José TomásJosé Tomás Munita Prop 11 August 1992 4 Católica Sepúlveda, LuisLuis Sepúlveda Prop 13 July 1982 6 Los Troncos Zamorano, ClaudioClaudio Zamorano Prop 8 January 1989 9 Stade Français Alvárez, IgnacioIgnacio Alvárez Lock 23 July 1988 5 COBS Cabrera, MatíasMatías Cabrera Lock 31 October 1987 6 Complutense Cisneros Piwonka, RaimundoRaimundo Piwonka Lock 7 December 1986 1 PWCC Niedmann, CristobálCristobál Niedmann Flanker 9 December 1992 15 PWCC Richard, JavierJavier Richard Flanker 25 February 1991 4 COBS Silva, IgnacioIgnacio Silva Flanker 16 February 1989 14 Stade Français Soto, BenjamínBenjamín Soto (c) Flanker 26 August 1987 15 Stade Français Bursic, NikolaNikola Bursic Number 8 12 August 1993 11 San Diego Breakers Perrotta, Juan PabloJuan Pablo Perrotta Scrum-half 9 May 1987 22 Católica Vergara, BeltránBeltrán Vergara Scrum-half 25 December 1990 0 Old Boys Onetto, CristianCristian Onetto Fly-half 11 February 1983 60 COBS de La Fuente, FranciscoFrancisco de La Fuente Centre 23 May 1988 12 Stade Bagnérais Larenas, José IgnacioJosé Ignacio Larenas Centre 14 September 1989 11 Católica Nordenflycht, MatíasMatías Nordenflycht Centre 2 October 1994 6 COBS Contreras, MatíasMatías Contreras Wing 28 December 1994 5 Alumni Montoya, LeonardoLeonardo Montoya Wing 5 August 1986 2 Stade Rouennais Zunino, ItaloItalo Zunino Wing 16 June 1992 8 COBS Casas, PabloPablo Casas Fullback 4 March 1992 1 PWCC Chacaltana, HumbertoHumberto Chacaltana Fullback 23 June 1986 0 Católica Notable players Donald Campbell Ian Campbell Alastair MacGregor Martin Cristian Onetto Sergio Valdes Pablo Huete See also Rugby union in Chile Chile national rugby sevens team South American Jaguars External links Federación de Rugby de Chile Chile on IRB.com Chile on rugbydata.com References Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1) p65 Collins, Tony (1 September 2015). The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby (First ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781408843703. Retrieved 24 March 2016. "World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 5 December 2016. Chile Roster for Americas Rugby Championship Opener