Rugby World Cup 2027 is one step closer for South American upstart

The Chilean Cóndores beat Brazil to secure a place in the final series of the 2025 Sudamericano whilst the Uruguayan Teros beat Paraguay handsomely. 

The ticket to Rugby World Cup 2027 is one step closer for Chile after beating Brazil 35-20 in Santiago, taking the series with a 70-41 points-aggregate, securing their place in the final series of the 2025 Campeonato Sudamericano, which doubles as a RWC qualifying. 

They will play against Uruguay who beat Paraguay in Asunción 38-0 almost securing the series, with a return game in Montevideo still to be played on August 23rd.  

Both teams hope to return to Rugby World Cup – for Chile it would be the second time after making a colourful debut in France 2023; for Los Teros it should be their fourth consecutive tournament, sixth overall. 

Chile, playing at home at their revamped High Performance Headquarters on the shadow of the Andes, took the field with a 14-point series lead against a heavier Brazilian pack that had changed seven starters to their lineup from a week earlier. 

The Brazilians failed to turn over that difference even if at some stage they pushed the Chileans hard and with ten minutes to play were only down by five points. 

The first half finished with the well supported home team leading 15-3, with tries from captain Clemente Saavedra, from the back of a maul, and loose forward Raimundo Martínez breaking two tackles to run 30 metres for the score. 

Saavedra was sinbinned and Os Tupis, through replacement hooker Endy Willian, scoring also through a maul, putting his team, after an earlier penalty, within two points for a few minutes until they themselves being temporarily down to fourteen. Los Cóndores upped the tempo with Martínez scoring his second. 

The final minutes had another Brazilian try but the Chileans knew by then that they would move forward adding a penalty. 

Brazil’s World Cup hopes are still alive as they play home and away against almost certainly Paraguay to decide the South American team in the Final Qualifying Tournament. 

Paraguay struggled to contain a Uruguayan side that did not need to play well to extend their unbeaten run against their rivals. 

Four first half tries – the first before the second minute – and the knowledge that they were stronger, probably played against their own performance, which was far from the standard showed in an earlier 70-8 win against Romania two weeks earlier and some good moments against Los Pumas last week. 

Flanker Santiago Civetta, aiming for his third Rugby World Cup participation, scored a first half brace and completed his positive performance with a third touchdown, his side’s sixth and final try. 

Lock-cum-wing Tomás Etcheverry scored down the right wing. A lock in XVs and an experienced Teros Sevens forward, maybe coach Rodolfo Ambrossio took an experimental leaf from Rassie Erasmus’ book when he slotted him at 14 rather than 4 or 5. If ever a test was possible, Paraguay was a good option. Future will confirm if it was a positive gamble. 

The 0-24 halftime score, and some stirring words in the sheds, brought a bigger fighting spirit to the home side that attacked for the following twenty minutes, always well repelled by Uruguay’s pressure or tackling. 

The final quarter had the winners scoring twice, decorating a scoreline that proved already too big to turn around on the day and, given the different development standards, when they meet again. 

Uruguay is a far better team than what they showed at the Héroes de Curupayty Stadium and they will now have to focus on Chile, despite still needing to go through the motions against Paraguay. 

If all goes to plan, meaning the world doesn’t implode and the win the series against Paraguay, Los Teros will travel to Santiago on August 30th and the series will close in Montevideo a week later. For the series’ winner, that long haul flight to Australia will be secured.  

For the loser, a series – first in the USA, then down in South America, against the sixth team from the Pacific Nations Cup. The winner of that series will be the 23rd qualifier to RWC 2027 and the loser will join Belgium, Namibia and either Paraguay or Brazil, in Dubai next November when the final seat at the World Cup table is decided.