Chile names traveling roster for RWC Qualifiers

Pablo Lemoine has named a traveling squad of 29 players to represent Chile in the next round of the Rugby World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. Los Cóndores will play Brazil this coming Sunday, July 11, followed by Uruguay on July 18. Both matches will take place in Montevideo.

Included are seven uncapped players though most appeared in the Sudamérica 4 Nations last fall. Some would have debuted against Colombia in the first round of the qualifiers but the match was called off after members of the Tucanes tested positive for COVID-19, which saw Chile advance automatically.

Five players are based abroad with only two of the locals not suiting up for Selknam in SLAR. Major League Rugby supplies utility forward Nikola Bursic and scrumhalf Marcelo Torrealba, while second row Augusto Sarmiento, scrumhalf Nicolás Herreros, and center Iñaki Ayarza have arrived from Europe.

Six players from the original list of 35 will not make the trip. They are hooker Raimundo Martínez, flanker Agustín Pérez, flyhalf Tomás Álvarado, centers Clemente Armstrong and Felipe Berry, and winger Rodrigo Gajardo. Of those only Martínez has won a test cap.

A detailed squad list can be seen here.

FORWARDS
Javier Carrasco (Old Reds / Selknam), Matías Dittus (Uni Católica / Selknam), Iñaki Gurruchaga (Old Johns / Selknam), Esteban Inostroza (PWCC / Selknam), Salvador Lues (COBS / Selknam), Augusto Böhme (Uni Católica / Selknam), Tomás Dussaillant (Old Boys / Selknam), Diego Escobar (COBS), Javier Eissmann (Uni Católica / Selknam), Santiago Pedrero (COBS / Selknam), Clemente Saavedra (Old Boys / Selknam), Augusto Sarmiento (Aparejadores, ES), Nikola Bursic (NOLA Gold, US), Alfonso Escobar (COBS / Selknam), Nicolás Garafulic (COBS / Selknam), Thomas Orchard (Old Lions / Selknam), Martín Sigren (capt., Old Boys / Selknam), Ignacio Silva (PWCC / Selknam)

BACKS
Lukas Carvallo (PWCC / Selknam), Nicolás Herreros (Aparejadores, ES), Marcelo Torrealba (Austin Gilgronis, US), Francisco Urroz (Old Reds), Santiago Videla (Old Boys / Selknam), Iñaki Ayarza (Anglet, FR), José Ignacio Larenas (Uni Católica / Selknam), Domingo Saavedra (Old Boys / Selknam), Matías Garafulic (COBS / Selknam), Franco Velarde (Viña / Selknam), Rodrigo Fernández (COBS / Selknam)