Uruguay lineup mid-week against Brazil. Image thanks to Cheese Estudio02.05.2009
Uruguay v Chile in Montevideo (WCQ Am.R2; CONSUR A Prelim.Final)
Previews
This final clash was predicted long before this tournament begun. The rivalry between these two teams goes back to the very early days of South American rugby. Their results against Paraguay and Brazil over the last week are even, with Uruguay claiming favouritism with two 70+ wins. They will also be playing at home and their record against Chile is convincing.
Last Five Encounters
22.11.2008 Uruguay 46-12 in Montevideo (CONSUR A)
25.08.2007 Uruguay 35-34 in Santiago (CONSUR A)
22.07.2006 Uruguay 43-15 in Montevideo (WCQ America, South)
11.05.2005 Chile 34-25 in Buenos Aires (26th Sth.Am.Champ. Div.A)
01.05.2004 Uruguay 20-13 in Santiago (25th S.Amer. Champ; Div.A)
These two teams first met in Buenos Aires in 1948. Chile won 21-3.
GWC Rugby Rankings: Sth America Table-Uruguay 2nd, Chile 3rd.
Prediction: Uruguay by 17 points
Teams are not available
Posts
I predicted Uruguay by 17 points so I did expect them to win but I also expected Chile to get closer than that.
ReplyDeleteWe now have gaps appearing in all S.American rugby. Brazil and Paraguay are just not in the same league as the other two. I expect some big development though to come from Brazil. They appear to have a very lively set up and have been exposed to more international rugby with the World Cup qualifiers. Paraguay plays two games a season and that's it.
It's often said that the USA is the "Sleeping Giant" of world rugby. How cool would it be if Brazil (or Russia) were that as well?
ReplyDeleteObviously it's early to say that, as each of the three South American teams above them represents a huge leap, but they've come quite a long way very quickly.