Chile national rugby union team
Rugby union team
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The Chile national rugby union team[1] represents the Chilean Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union. Nicknamed Los Cóndores (The Condors in English), they play in red and white, the country's national colours. They are currently ranked 17th in the World Rugby Rankings, and have been historically the third highest-ranked nation in South America.
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| Nickname | Los Cóndores (The Condors) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Emblem | Andean condor | ||
| Union | Chilean Rugby Federation | ||
| Head coach | Pablo Lemoine | ||
| Captain | Martín Sigren | ||
| Most caps | José Ignacio Larenas (50) | ||
| Top scorer | Santiago Videla (245) | ||
| Top try scorer | José Ignacio Larenas (11) | ||
| Home stadium | Estadio Santa Laura | ||
| |||
| World Rugby ranking | |||
| Current | 17 (as of 29 September 2025) | ||
| Highest | 17 (2025) | ||
| Lowest | 31 (2018) | ||
| First international | |||
 Chile 0–29 Argentina  (Valparaíso, Chile; 20 September 1936) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Chile 102–0 Paraguay  (Montevideo, Uruguay; 3 May 2003) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Argentina 89–6 Chile (Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 May 2009) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2023) | ||
| Best result | Pool stage (2023) | ||
| Website | chile.rugby | ||
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. In 1989, Chile was one of the founding members of Sudamérica Rugby, 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 even the 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 region.
Chile qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which was their first appearance in the tournament. They upset Canada in a two-game series in October 2021, before defeating the United States in a two-game home-and-home series on aggregate by 1 point in July 2022. Chile were drawn with England, Japan, Argentina, and Samoa in Pool D of the World Cup.
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 arrivedal in ports.[2] 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.[3] 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 lost 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 US 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.
Chile then took part at an Intercontinental Cup at home in Santiago in November 2004. Where they recorded arguably one their greatest victories at the time, defeating an up and coming Georgia side 30-24.
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.
2010s
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.
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.
2020s: World Cup
Going into the 2020s Chile finally looked to have turned a corner after having successfully come through the first rounds of South America qualification for the 2023 RWC, they went into the Americas 2 Repechage with strong chances of upsetting a weakened Canada side. In a two-legged play-off Chile held Canada to a tight 22-21 opener at Langford, British Columbia before overcoming 33-24 in Valparaiso, winning 54-46 on aggregate and booking their place in the Americas 2 qualifier v the USA. It was also their first ever win over Canada at the 8th attempt and one of their biggest scalps yet.
In July 2022 Chile qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time. They secured their place with an aggregate 52–51 win over the United States, overturning a one-point deficit in the first leg with a 31–29 win in Glendale, Colorado.[4]
Record
Overall record
| Rank | Change[i] | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |  South Africa | 93.94 |
| 2 | |  New Zealand | 90.33 |
| 3 |  4 |  France | 88.40 |
| 4 |  3 |  England | 87.71 |
| 5 | |  Ireland | 86.81 |
| 6 | | Argentina | 84.97 |
| 7 | |  Australia | 81.53 |
| 8 | |  Fiji | 81.14 |
| 9 | 10 |  Scotland | 81.10 |
| 10 | 9 |  Italy | 79.81 |
| 11 | |  Wales | 74.23 |
| 12 | |  Japan | 74.09 |
| 13 | |  Georgia | 73.18 |
| 14 | |  Uruguay | 69.19 |
| 15 | |  Spain | 69.16 |
| 16 | |  United States | 68.26 |
| 17 | | Chile | 66.72 |
| 18 | |  Tonga | 66.66 |
| 19 | |  Portugal | 66.53 |
| 20 | |  Samoa | 66.43 |
| 21 | 22 |  Romania | 60.90 |
| 22 | 23 |  Hong Kong | 59.61 |
| 23 | 21 |  Belgium | 59.56 |
| 24 | |  Zimbabwe | 58.80 |
| 25 | |  Canada | 58.75 |
| 26 | |  Namibia | 56.96 |
| 27 | |  Netherlands | 56.86 |
| 28 | |  Switzerland | 55.26 |
| 29 | |  Czech Republic | 54.78 |
| 30 | |  Poland | 52.96 |
- Change from the previous week
| Chile's historical rankings |
Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Chile national XV at test level up until 6 March 2026, updated after match with Italy A.
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 38 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 0.00% | 242 | 1,686 | −1,444 |
| Argentina XV | 17 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 11.76% | 179 | 576 | −397 |
| Argentina Jaguars | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 23 | 42 | −19 |
| Argentina Provinces | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | 115 | 67 | +48 |
| Belgium | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 33 | 5 | +28 |
 Bermuda | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 65 | 8 | +57 |
 Brazil | 32 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 78.13% | 1,106 | 468 | +638 |
| Brazil XV | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 146 | 85 | +61 |
| Canada | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 22.22% | 160 | 305 | −145 |
| Canada A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 36 | 25 | +11 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 71 | −71 |
| England Counties XV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 21 | 33 | −12 |
| Fiji | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 16 | 41 | −25 |
| France Amateur | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 22 | −19 |
| France XV | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 9 | 89 | −80 |
| Georgia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | 36 | 53 | −17 |
 Germany | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 32 | 10 | +22 |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | 28 | 30 | −2 |
| Ireland XV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 30 | −30 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 19 | 34 | −15 |
| Italy A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 26 | 33 | −7 |
| Japan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 42 | −30 |
| Junior Springboks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | 13 | 165 | −152 |
 Kenya | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 23 | 3 | +20 |
| Māori All Blacks | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 73 | −73 |
| Namibia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 26 | 28 | −2 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 17 | 20 | −3 |
| New Zealand XV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 6 | 34 | −28 |
| Oxford and Cambridge | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 6 | 42 | −36 |
| Paraguay | 30 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 96.67% | 1312 | 286 | +1026 |
 Peru | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 62 | 6 | +56 |
| Portugal | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0.00% | 67 | 110 | −43 |
| Romania | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33% | 74 | 73 | +1 |
 Russia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | 83 | 98 | −15 |
| Samoa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33% | 73 | 87 | −14 |
| Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 11 | 52 | −41 |
| Scotland A | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 22 | 64 | −42 |
| South Africa XV | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00% | 16 | 188 | −172 |
 Sudamérica XV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 21 | 38 | −17 |
 South Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | 66 | 50 | +16 |
| Spain | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.33% | 108 | 180 | −72 |
| Tonga | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 40 | 71 | −31 |
 Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 35 | 6 | +29 |
| United States | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 25% | 125 | 336 | −211 |
| Uruguay | 57 | 13 | 43 | 1 | 22.81% | 76 | 125 | −49 |
| Uruguay A | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.00% | 81 | 122 | −41 |
 Venezuela | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 95 | 3 | +92 |
| Total | 264 | 99 | 162 | 4 | 37.5% | 4,819 | 6,149 | −1,330 |
World Cup record
| Rugby World Cup record | Qualification | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | ||
| 1987 |
Not invited | Not invited | |||||||||||||||
| 1991 |
Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| 1995 |
Did not qualify | 4th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 109 | |||||||||
| 1999 |
2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 168 | 40 | ||||||||||
| 2003 |
4th | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 196 | 155 | ||||||||||
| 2007 |
3rd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 121 | 138 | ||||||||||
| 2011 |
2nd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 49 | ||||||||||
| 2015 |
2nd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 78 | ||||||||||
| 2019 |
2nd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 194 | 110 | ||||||||||
| 2023 |
Pool stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 215 | Squad | P/O | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 139 | 125 | ||
| 2027 |
Qualified | P/O | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 270 | 141 | |||||||||
| 2031 |
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 215 | — | — | 45 | 24 | 2 | 19 | 1305 | 945 | ||
| |||||||||||||||||
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 – Runners-up
- 2017 – Runners-up
- 2018 – Third place
- 2019 – Third place
- 2020 – Runners-up
- 2025 – Runners-up
Sudamérica Rugby Cup/CONSUR Cup record
- 2014 – Third place
- 2015 – Did not participate
- 2016 – Third place
- 2017 – Third place
Americas Rugby Championship record
- 2016 – Sixth place
- 2017 – Sixth place
- 2018 – Sixth place
- 2019 – Sixth place
Players
Current squad
On 17 October, Chile named a 32-player squad ahead of their test against Italy as part of the 2025 November tests.
Head Coach: Pablo Lemoine
- Caps Updated: 22 November 2025 (after Italy v Chile)
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Augusto Böhme | Hooker | 11 June 1997 | 41 | Unattached |
| Jorge Delgado | Hooker | 21 February 2001 | 1 | Selknam |
| Benjamín Moreno | Hooker | 0 | DOBS | |
| Norman Aguayo | Prop | 12 February 2002 | 6 | Selknam |
| Javier Carrasco | Prop | 24 August 1997 | 39 | Selknam |
| Baltazar Gurruchaga | Prop | 20 June 2001 | 0 | Selknam |
| Iñaki Gurruchaga | Prop | 13 October 1995 | 30 | Vannes |
| Salvador Lues | Prop | 6 November 1999 | 31 | Selknam |
| Emiliano Shae | Prop | 0 | Selknam | |
| Santiago Pedrero | Lock | 30 November 2000 | 28 | Selknam |
| Bruno Sáez | Lock | 27 October 2004 | 10 | Selknam |
| Augusto Villanueva | Lock | 6 December 1999 | 2 | Selknam |
| Alfonso Escobar | Back row | 17 August 1997 | 39 | Selknam |
| Raimundo Martínez | Back row | 25 November 1999 | 32 | Selknam |
| Joaquin Milesi | Back row | 26 January 2001 | 8 | Selknam |
| Clemente Saavedra | Back row | 15 December 1997 | 41 | Selknam |
| Ernesto Tchimino | Back row | 21 March 2001 | 10 | Selknam |
| Santiago Valenzuela | Back row | 2 May 2004 | 1 | Selknam |
| Lucas Berti | Scrum-half | 12 December 2003 | 10 | Montpellier |
| Juan Sebastián Bianchi | Scrum-half | 7 September 2004 | 1 | Selknam |
| Rodrigo Fernández | Fly-half | 8 February 1996 | 37 | Colorno |
| Juan Cruz Reyes | Fly-half | 4 July 2003 | 10 | Selknam |
| Tomás Salas | Fly-half | 3 May 1999 | 8 | Selknam |
| Rodrigo Araya | Centre | 6 May 2005 | 0 | DOBS |
| Matías Garafulic | Centre | 1 September 2000 | 27 | Selknam |
| Domingo Saavedra | Centre | 15 December 1997 | 42 | Selknam |
| Santiago Videla | Centre | 16 January 1998 | 46 | Unattached |
| Clemente Armstrong | Wing | 29 May 2001 | 3 | Selknam |
| Cristóbal Game Jiménez | Wing | 9 July 2000 | 11 | Selknam |
| Federico Kennedy | Wing | 24 July 2004 | 0 | Selknam |
| Nicolás Saab | Wing | 28 February 2005 | 9 | Selknam |
| Felipe Méndez | Fullback | 19 April 2001 | 0 | Selknam |
Notable players
- Donald Campbell
- Ian Campbell
- Alastair MacGregor Martin
- Cristian Onetto
- José Larenas
- Sergio Valdes
- Francisco Planella
Award winners
The following Chile players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:[6]
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Player records
Most caps
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Most points
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Past coaches
Current managerial staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Pablo Lemoine |
| Assistant Coach | Jake Mangin |
| Coach | Federico Todeschini |
| Coach | Nicolás Bruzzone |
| Coach | Ricardo Cortés |
Chronology of head coaches
Since the 1999 Rugby World Cup
| Years | Coach |
|---|---|
| 2002–2006 | Jorge Navesi |
| 2007 | Cristian Iga |
| 2007 | Gonzolo Balbontin |
| 2008–2012 | Daniel Graco |
| 2012–2014 | Omar Turcumán |
| 2014–2015 | Paul Healy |
| 2016 | Elías Santillán (interim) |
| 2016–2017 | Bernard Charreyre |
| 2017 | Omar Turcuman |
| 2017–2018 | Mark Cross |
| 2018–present | Pablo Lemoine |
Badge and colours
The Chile national team wears a combination of red, white and blue as its official colors. The red symbolizes the team's determination, passion, and energy on the rugby field. This reflects the team's commitment to the game. White, serving as the secondary color, represents purity, unity, and sportsmanship, values that the team upholds both on and off the field. The tertiary color, blue, symbolizes loyalty, trust, and stability, qualities of team cohesion and success in international rugby competitions.
The badge of the Chile rugby union national team is a visual representation of the team's identity and heritage. While the specific design may vary, it often incorporates the national colors along with an iconic symbol of Chile, such as the Andean condor, a majestic bird that holds significant cultural importance in Chilean folklore. The badge typically embodies the team's spirit of determination, strength, and unity, capturing the essence of Chilean rugby. It serves as a powerful emblem that unites players and fans alike, instilling a sense of pride and belonging within the rugby community in Chile.
Sponsors
The following companies are the main sponsors of the Chilean team.[12]
Main sponsors
Partners
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