Chile Rugby Depth Report – Rugby World Cup 2027 Radar

With under one year to go until Rugby World Cup 2027, Chile is exceptionally well-positioned to make history on the global stage. Having successfully navigated a demanding transition cycle, Los Cóndores enter this final twelve-month stretch with a squad that is deeper, more experienced, and tactically sharper than ever before.

Chile’s primary target in Australia—securing a historic, first-ever Rugby World Cup match victory—is now realistically within their reach, particularly with a highly anticipated and pivotal clash against Hong Kong waiting on the horizon. As preparations enter their final, crucial phase, the South Americans are primed to put their absolute heart and soul into the campaign, carrying the pride of a nation determined to prove they belong among the world’s elite.

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2027 – POOL A

NEW ZEALAND

AUSTRALIA

CHILE

HONG KONG

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2027 – CHILE FIXTURES

OCTOBER 02VS(PERTH, 1:15pm kick-off / 2:15am CL)

 OCTOBER 09 VS(TOWNSVILLE, 8:15pm / 7:15am CL)

OCTOBER 16 VS(BRISBANE, 3:10pm / 2:10am CL)

LOS CÓNDORES SINCE RWC 2023

Chilean rugby’s trajectory between 2024 and 2026 marks a profound evolutionary leap forward from the historic 2020–2023 World Cup qualification cycle. While the previous quadrennial was defined by the singular, monumental goal of securing a debut ticket to France 2023, the subsequent years have shifted focus from mere qualification to establishing long-term global competitiveness.

Between 2020 and 2023, Los Cóndores frequently battled severe performance disparities against established Tier 2 sides and suffered lopsided losses during their World Cup group stage. By contrast, the 2024–2026 test match logs reveal a more resilient side.

Los Cóndores have built on their RWC 2023 Qualifying victories over Canada and the USA to secure additional landmark victories against Tier 2 opposition, including an emphatic 31–12 win over Samoa in 2025 and a historic 28–27 triumph over Argentina XV in September 2026 to secure the Americas Rugby Championship title.

So far in 2026, Los Cóndores have weaponized this newly found depth to endure a grueling test calendar, crushing Romania 48–31 and outclassing Hong Kong 38–17 during the July Nations Cup before capturing the Americas Rugby Championship title in September.

This expanding pool of high-caliber athletes has allowed Lemoine to seamlessly rotate tactical components and absorb the retirements of veteran stalwarts without losing competitive momentum, setting up a battle-tested Chilean side primed to make a major statement on the global stage this November.

CHILE PLAYER POOL – DEPTH ANALYSIS

What does Chile’s player depth look like exactly? The following table displays Chile’s top players across three line-ups. The players included are based on roster selection and team lists under Pablo Lemoine over the past year.

In the forwards, head coach Pablo Lemoine actively tested his front-row depth during the 2026 campaigns, where Javier Carrasco, Diego Escobar, and Iñaki Gurruchaga solidified their positions as the preferred Team 1 unit. While Matías Dittus and Augusto Böhme remained elite, top-tier options, the summer windows saw massive pressure from younger domestic talent, with Emilio Shea breaking into the loosehead rotation and Jorge Delgado earning valuable minutes at hooker.

The second row relied heavily on the proven pairing of Santiago Pedrero and Javier Eissmann, though Bruno Sáez firmly asserted himself as the primary reserve lock. In the back row, captain Martín Sigren and Raimundo Martínez anchored the starting lines, while Ernesto Tchimino and Clemente Saavedra provided high-impact, versatile cover across multiple positions to showcase a robust, battle-tested pack. Martínez has also excelled at hooker, a point that is likely to affect the final make-up of the 33-man roster for RWC 2027.

Across the backline, tactical shifts and defensive versatility redefined Chile’s depth chart ahead of November. At scrumhalf, Lucas Berti pushed his way into a heavy starting rotation to challenge veteran finisher Marcelo Torrealba, while Rodrigo Fernández remained the undisputed general at fly-half.

The midfield saw a highly effective partnership form between Domingo Saavedra and Matías Garafulic, a move that allowed Santiago Videla to dynamically slide between inside center and secondary playmaker roles from the bench.

Out wide, the rotation of core veterans triggered a significant shuffle in the back three; Nicolás Saab safely locked down the left wing, while Cristóbal Game shifted to cover fullback, and rising star Manuel Bustamante bypassed previous projections to claim significant starting minutes on the right wing.

 

RWC 2027 SELECTION RADAR

The following table is the contemporary predictor of Chile’s 33-man roster for Rugby World Cup 2027. It has been compiled according to patterns observed by the Chilean coaching staff in their team selections.

The inclusion of Raimundo Martínez at flanker and Norman Aguayo and Salvador Lues at loose head explains why two, rather than three, players have been included in this position. All cover hooker and have represented Chile previously in the position.

POS	QTY	PLAYERS	STAND-BY
LH	3	Norman Aguayo, Javier Carrasco, Salvador Lues	Emilio Shea
HK	2	Augusto Böhme, Diego Escobar	Jorge Delgado
TH	3	Matías Dittus, Baltazar Gurruchaga, Iñaki Gurruchaga	Vittorio Lastra
LO	4	Javier Eissmann, Santiago Pedrero, Bruno Sáez, Max Schlesinger	Augusto Villanueva
FL + N8	6	Alfonso Escobar,  Raimundo Martínez, Joaquín Milesi, Clemente Saavedra, Martín Sigrin, Ernesto Tchimino	Santiago Valenzuela
SH	3	Lucas Berti, Marcelo Torrealba, Benjamín Videla	Juan Bianchi
FH	3	Rodrigo Fernández, Tomás Salas, Juan Cruz Reyes	Diego Warnken
CE	4	Clemente Armstrong Ríos, Matías Garafulic, Domingo Saavedra, Santiago Videla	Tomás Baguley
WI + FB	5	Marco Alvano, Iñaki Ayarza, Manuel Bustamante, Nicolás Saab, Luca Strabucchi	Felipe Méndez

For further information about Chile’s player roster click here.

 

CHILE’S PROJECTED RWC 2027 MATCH DAY LINE-UP

Below is Chile’s projected match-day 23 to face New Zealand in Chile’s opening fixture of Rugby World Cup 2027. It has been compiled as the first-choice selection. The possibility of player rotation exists but this has been ignored to select a merit-oriented team rather than one in which speculation is a leading factor.

 

CHILE
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Diego Escobar, 3 Iñaki Gurruchaga, 4 Santiago Pedrero, 5 Javier Eissmann, 6 Martín Sigren (capt.), 7 Rodrigo Martínez, 8 Ernesto Tchimino, 9 Lucas Berti, 10 Rodrigo Martínez, 11 Nicolás Saab, 12 Domingo Saavedra, 13 Santiago Videla, 14 Manuel Bustamante, 15 Iñaki Ayarza

Replacements: 16 Augusto Böhme, 17 Salvador Lues, 18 Matías Dittus, 19 Bruno Sáez, 20 Clemente Saavedra, 21 Benjamín Videla, 22 Tomás Salas, 23 Matías Garafulic