Chile national rugby union team

Chile

Nickname(s)	Los Cóndores
Emblem	Andean condor
Union	Chilean Rugby Federation
Head coach	Pablo Lemoine
Captain
Most caps	Cristian Onetto (65)
Top scorer	(192)
Home stadium	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos
First colours Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current	28 (as of 19 July 2021)
Highest	23 (2003-05, 2007, 2009-12, 2015)
Lowest	31 (2018)
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	[1]

The Chilean national rugby union team (Spanish: Selección de rugby de Chile) represents Chile in men's international rugby union competitions, nicknamed Los Cóndores, plays in red jerseys and blue shorts, and it's organised by the Chilean Rugby Federation (Federación de Rugby de Chile). As of 2019, Chile has not qualified for a Rugby World Cup.

Chile was the second South American nation after 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 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.

In the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship, Chile was defeated in all five matches, scoring just four tries in the tournament. In the 2017 Cup of Nations, the team claimed a win over Kenya, while losing to Russia and Hong Kong.

Record[]

Overall record[]

Men's World Rugby Rankings v t Top 30 as of 13 September 2021[3]
Rank	Change*	Team	Points
1		South Africa	092.49
2		New Zealand	090.31
3		England	085.44
4		Ireland	084.85
5	2	Australia	084.11
6	1	France	083.87
7	1	Argentina	082.86
8		Scotland	082.02
9		Wales	080.59
10		Japan	079.13
11		Fiji	076.87
12		Georgia	073.73
13		Samoa	073.59
14		Italy	070.65
15		Tonga	068.57
16	1	United States	067.12
17	1	Uruguay	067.02
18		Romania	066.22
19		Portugal	065.67
20		Spain	064.82
21		Canada	062.08
22		Hong Kong	061.23
23		Russia	060.94
24		Netherlands	059.30
25		Namibia	059.04
26		Brazil	056.32
27		Belgium	056.16
28		Chile	055.20
29		Switzerland	054.12
30		Germany	053.13
* Change from the previous week

Overall record of the Chilean national XV up to date as of 18 July 2021.

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
Argentina	39	0	39	0	0.00%	270	1855	−1585
Argentina XV	4	0	4	0	0.00%	53	151	−98
Argentina Jaguars	1	0	1	0	0.00%	23	42	−19
Bermuda	1	1	0	0	100.00%	65	8	+57
Brazil	28	22	4	2	78.57%	893	337	+556
Canada	5	0	5	0	0.00%	62	189	−127
Fiji	1	0	1	0	0.00%	16	41	−25
France Amateur	1	0	1	0	0.00%	3	22	−19
France XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	3	34	−31
Georgia	2	1	1	0	50.00%	36	53	−17
Germany	1	1	0	0	100.00%	32	10	+22
Hong Kong	1	0	1	0	0.00%	6	13	−7
Kenya	1	1	0	0	100.00%	23	3	+20
Paraguay	27	26	1	0	96.30%	1098	276	+822
Peru	2	2	0	0	100.00%	62	6	+56
Portugal	3	0	3	0	0.00%	49	87	−38
Romania	1	0	1	0	0.00%	11	27	-16
Russia	1	0	1	0	0.00%	11	42	−31
Spain	5	2	3	0	40.00%	86	151	−65
South Korea	2	1	1	0	50.00%	66	50	+16
Tonga	1	0	1	0	0.00%	30	32	−2
Trinidad and Tobago	1	1	0	0	100.00%	35	6	+29
United States	5	1	4	0	20.00%	65	214	−149
Uruguay	54	12	41	1	22.22%	814	1279	−465
Venezuela	1	1	0	0	100.00%	95	3	+92
Total	188	72	113	3	38.30%	3907	4931	−1024

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
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	Did not qualify								3	2	0	1	113	57
Total	0/9	0	0	0	0	0	0		28	14	0	14	836	626

South American Rugby Championship record[]

Sudamérica Rugby Cup/CONSUR Cup record[]

Americas Rugby Championship record[]

• 2016 - Sixth place
• 2017 - Sixth place
• 2018 - Sixth place
• 2019 - Sixth place

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 Gilbert. The team is currently sponsored by Peugeot. The former national team kit was manufactured by Mitre Sports International.

Current squad[]

Chile's 31-man squad for their 2023 Rugby World Cup qualification matches in June/July 2021.^[4]

Head Coach: Pablo Lemoine

• Caps Updated: 1 June 2021

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

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
	Hooker	(1997-06-11) 11 June 1997 (age 24)	10	Selknam
	Hooker	(1990-10-06) 6 October 1990 (age 30)	29	Selknam
	Hooker	(2000-04-17) 17 April 2000 (age 21)	0	Selknam
	Hooker		1	Selknam
	Prop	(1997-08-24) 24 August 1997 (age 24)	7	Selknam
	Prop	(1993-07-16) 16 July 1993 (age 28)	9	Selknam
	Prop	(1995-10-13) 13 October 1995 (age 25)	3	Selknam
	Prop		0	Selknam
	Prop	(1999-11-06) 6 November 1999 (age 21)	2	Selknam
	Lock	(1993-08-12) 12 August 1993 (age 28)	29	New Orleans Gold
	Lock	(1997-03-21) 21 March 1997 (age 24)	10	Selknam
	Lock		0	COBS
	Lock	(1997-12-15) 15 December 1997 (age 23)	9	Selknam
	Lock	(1993-04-26) 26 April 1993 (age 28)	8	Aparejadores
	Flanker	(1997-08-17) 17 August 1997 (age 24)	8	Selknam
	Flanker	(1997-01-12) 12 January 1997 (age 24)	8	Selknam
	Flanker		0	Sporting
Ignacio Silva	Flanker	(1989-02-16) 16 February 1989 (age 32)	33	Selknam
	Number 8	(1998-11-09) 9 November 1998 (age 22)	9	Selknam
	Number 8	(1996-05-14) 14 May 1996 (age 25)	16	Selknam
	Scrum-half		0	Selknam
	Scrum-half	(1990-01-23) 23 January 1990 (age 31)	0	Selknam
Marcelo Torrealba	Scrum-half	(1996-05-06) 6 May 1996 (age 25)	0	Austin Gilgronis
	Fly-half	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 23)	9	Old Boys
	Fly-half	(1993-09-07) 7 September 1993 (age 28)	8	Old Reds
	Fly-half	(1998-01-16) 16 January 1998 (age 23)	13	Selknam
	Centre	(1997-12-15) 15 December 1997 (age 23)	13	DOBS
	Centre	(1995-10-06) 6 October 1995 (age 25)	9	Charente
	Centre		0	Selknam
	Centre	(1989-09-14) 14 September 1989 (age 32)	40	Selknam
	Centre	(1997-12-15) 15 December 1997 (age 23)	17	Selknam
	Wing		0	Sporting
	Wing	(2000-09-01) 1 September 2000 (age 21)	0	Selknam
	Wing	(1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 26)	11	Selknam
Rodrigo Fernández	Fullback	(1996-02-08) 8 February 1996 (age 25)	11	Selknam

Notable players[]

• Donald Campbell
• Ian Campbell
• Alastair MacGregor Martin
• Cristian Onetto
• Sergio Valdes

See also[]

• Rugby union in Chile
• Chile national rugby sevens team
• South American Jaguars

External links[]

• Federación de Rugby de Chile
• Chile^{[permanent dead link]} on IRB.com
• Chile on rugbydata.com

References[]