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Uruguay national rugby union team

The Uruguay national rugby union team (Spanish: Selección de rugby de Uruguay), nicknamed Los Teros, represents the Uruguayan Rugby Union in men's international rugby union . One of the older test sides in the world, Uruguay has qualified five times for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999, 2003, 2015, 2019 and most recently 2023. As of 10 July 2023 they are ranked 17th in the world, and are ranked 2nd in the Americas region, behind rivals Argentina.

Uruguay
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameLos Teros
EmblemSouthern lapwing
UnionUruguayan Rugby Union
Head coachRodolfo Ambrosio
CaptainAndrés Vilaseca
Most capsDiego Magno (107)
Top scorerFelipe Berchesi (369)
Top try scorerDiego Ormaechea (33)
Home stadiumEstadio Charrúa
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current17 (as of 11 September 2023)
Highest14 (2005)
Lowest23 (2012, 2013, 2017)
First international
 Chile 21–3 Uruguay 
(Buenos Aires, Argentina; 5 August 1948)
Biggest win
 Paraguay 6–102 Uruguay 
(Puerto Iguazú, Argentina; 14 May 2011)
Biggest defeat
 South Africa 134–3 Uruguay 
(East London, South Africa; 11 June 2005)
World Cup
Appearances5 (First in 1999)
Best resultPool stage (1999, 2003, 2015, 2019, 2023)
Websiteuru.org.uy/teros-xv-3

Uruguay has consistently been one of the better fringe international sides in rugby union, having consistently beaten Tier 2/3 competition from across the globe. Uruguay won the South American Rugby Championship in 1981, the only time (pre-2014) that a team other than Argentina won the tournament. They came second on 19 occasions and third the remaining 9. As of 2012, Uruguay has been classified as a Tier 2 nation, which allows them to receive more funding from World Rugby.

Their home stadium is Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo and holds up to 14,000 people. Estadio Domingo Burgueño has also been used for some fixtures in the Americas Rugby Championship.

The nickname Los Teros refers to the national bird of Uruguay, the southern lapwing (Vanellus chilensis).

History

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1900s–60s

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Main article: Rugby union in Uruguay
 
Uruguay v. Chile in the 1951 South American championship held in Buenos Aires
 
The southern lapwing, commonly seen in uruguayan sport fields, became the emblem of the Uruguayan National Rugby Team.

There are reports of rugby football being played in Uruguay as early as 1865.[1] The game was introduced by British immigrants, with the game being more popularized by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, who were of Irish origin. Because of this, Uruguay has one of the oldest rugby cultures outside the British Isles, and one of the most established in the South America.

Uruguay made their official international debut in 1948, in a game against Chile, which Uruguay lost 21–3. Following their debut match, they returned to competition in the Pan American Games, first against the more experienced Argentina, resulting in a 0–62 loss. Uruguay then faced Chile for the second time, defeating them by 8–3. The final match of the competition was a 17–10 win over Brazil. Uruguay thus became runners up in the first unofficial South American Rugby Championship.

Uruguay, after a four years hiatus, played Chile in 1956, who defeated them by 6–3. In 1958, they played for the first official South American Rugby Championship, in a pool of three countries. They first played Chile, this time losing by 9–34. The Teros met again Argentina, having another loss, this time by 3–50. Uruguay managed to defeat Peru (10–6) in the last game.

In 1960, Uruguay faced for the first time one of the powers of the Northern Hemisphere rugby, France XV, losing by 0–61 in Montevideo during a South American tour. Uruguay after this match entered their second South American Rugby Championship. They first won against Brazil in a close game (11–8), then losing to Chile (5–28) and Argentina (3–36) in the closest result to then between both countries.

1970s – 1980s

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The 1970s started off with a win over Paraguay in 1971, which was followed by a win and loss against Chile and a win against Brazil. They also played Argentina twice in the 1970s. However, they won all their matches except for those against Argentina, as well as losing one game against Chile and drawing another. However, the next game against Argentina, two years later in 1979, Uruguay came close to defeating the Pumas, going down by just three points, the final score being 19 to 16.

The 1980s started off with a 54 to 14 win over Paraguay, which resulted in a winning streak that was stopped by Argentina in 1983. In 1985, France visited Montevideo for a second time to play the Teros, beating the locals 34–6. Another short undefeated streak occurred over 1987/1989, which was broken by a 19 to 17 loss against Chile. This was followed by a sound loss to Argentina and loss to a new opponent, the United States Eagles.

1990s

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The 1990s started off with wins against of Chile, Brazil and Paraguay. This was followed by more wins over their traditional opponents, though Uruguay still lost to Argentina, they also played Canada in a competitive 28–9 loss in 1995. Uruguay played some of the bigger nations such as Argentina, Canada and the United States, although the Canada and U.S. games were a lot closer than some of their previous encounters.

A huge success for them was qualifying for the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales. They won their pool fixture against Spain, Uruguay finished third in their pool.

2000–present

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Uruguay came within 10 points of Argentina in 2001, and also played nations such as Italy in the same year. Uruguay won most of their matches against their traditional Americas opponents in the early 2000s. Later in 2002, Uruguay defeated Canada, winning 25–23. They followed this up with a 10–9 win over the United States. They again qualified for the 2003 World Cup. They won their pool fixture against Georgia 24–12.

Uruguay's qualification for the 2007 World Cup started in Americas Round 3a, where they were grouped with Argentina and Chile. After losing their first match 26–0 to Argentina, they defeated Chile 43–15 in Montevideo, which saw them enter Round 4. In round 4 they faced the United States, and Uruguay lost on aggregate, and moved onto the repechage round as Americas 4. Uruguay played Portugal in the repechage over two legs — losing the first in Lisbon and winning the second in Montevideo — but lost on aggregate points and failed to qualify.

Uruguay lost the 2011 Rugby World Cup qualification. Uruguay had won the 2009 South American Rugby Championship "A" by defeating Brazil and Chile at the Estadio Charrúa. Uruguay then lost to the United States 22–27 and 6–27. In the repechage, Uruguay defeated Kazakhstan 44–7, but in the battle for the 20th and final spot at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Uruguay tied Romania at home 21–21 and lost 12–32 in Bucharest.

 
2015 Rugby World Cup repechage qualifier match between Uruguay and Russia

During the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifying, Uruguay won the 2013 South American Rugby Championship "A", getting wins at the Estadio Charrúa against Brazil (58–7) and Chile (23–9). In March 2014, Uruguay faced the United States in a NACRA-CONSUR playoff for the last Americas qualification spot. Uruguay tied the home leg 27–27, but lost the away leg 32–13. Uruguay then moved to the repechage, where it defeated Hong Kong 28–3 at the Estadio Charrúa, to face Russia for the 20th and final spot at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Uruguay qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup by defeating Russia by an aggregate score of 57–49 in the two-game series, winning the second game at home 36–27 in front of 14,000 fans at the Charrua Stadium.[2]

 
Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo, home of Los Teros.

Uruguay claimed three wins and two losses at the 2016 Americas Rugby Championship, but ranked fourth out of six because they only scored two bonus points. In 2017 the team also claimed three wins and two losses, finishing third. On 3 February 2018, Los Teros qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup as Americas 2 after beating Canada in the home-away leg, and started it with a surprising 30-27 win over Fiji on 25 September: it was Uruguay’s first World Cup win in 16 years.[3][4]

On 30 October 2019, nightclub in southwestern Japan filed criminal complaint against players from the Uruguay team for 2019 Rugby World Cup for allegedly damaging property.[5]

In 2021, Uruguay qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup as Americas 1, after a 1-1 series draw with the United States They lost the first game 19-16, but won the second game 34-15. They won on aggregate points (50-34) and are in Pool A with New Zealand, France, Italy and Namibia.

Record

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Overall record

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Men's World Rugby Rankings
Top 20 as of 18 November 2024[6]
Rank Change[i] Team Points
1 Steady    South Africa 092.78
2 Increase 1   Ireland 090.78
3 Decrease 1   New Zealand 090.09
4 Steady    France 088.08
5 Steady    Argentina 085.40
6 Steady    Scotland 082.70
7 Steady    England 082.31
8 Steady    Australia 082.17
9 Steady    Fiji 080.07
10 Steady    Italy 078.92
11 Steady    Wales 074.01
12 Steady    Georgia 073.85
13 Increase 1   Japan 072.95
14 Decrease 1   Samoa 072.68
15 Increase 1   United States 068.90
16 Decrease 1   Portugal 068.82
17 Steady    Spain 067.10
18 Increase 1   Uruguay 065.94
19 Decrease 1   Tonga 065.46
20 Steady    Romania 064.13
21 Steady    Chile 061.72
22 Steady    Hong Kong 059.49
23 Steady    Canada 059.18
24 Increase 3   Netherlands 058.56
25 Decrease 1   Russia 058.06
26 Decrease 1   Namibia 057.87
27 Increase 2   Zimbabwe 057.16
28 Decrease 2   Brazil 056.53
29 Decrease 1   Belgium 056.51
30 Steady     Switzerland 056.04
  1. ^ Change from the previous week
Uruguay's historical rankings
See or edit source data.
Source: World Rugby[6]
Graph updated to 11 November 2024

Uruguay has lost all official matches versus Argentina, but has a winning record against their other South American rivals such as Chile, Paraguay, and Brazil. They played Chile for the fiftieth time during the 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches, winning 26–25.[7][8]

Regarding tier 2 teams, Uruguay has winning records against Namibia, Spain, Portugal and Russia, and losing records against the United States, Canada, Japan, Georgia, Romania, and Fiji.

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Uruguay national XV at test level up until 16 November 2024.[9]

Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn Win % For Aga Diff
  Argentina 40 0 40 0 0.00% 401 1,732 −1,331
  Argentina XV 15 5 9 1 33.33% 329 530 −201
  Argentina Jaguars 2 0 2 0 0.00% 40 101 −61
  Australia 2 0 2 0 0.00% 13 110 −97
  Belgium 1 1 0 0 100% 39 13 +26
  Brazil 31 28 3 0 90.32% 1060 328 +732
  Canada 13 5 8 0 38.46% 232 370 −138
  Chile 50 39 10 1 78% 1229 753 +476
Ireland  Emerging Ireland 3 0 3 0 0.00% 43 126 −83
  England 2 0 2 0 0.00% 16 171 −155
  Fiji 4 1 3 0 25% 76 181 −105
  Fiji XV 1 0 1 0 0.00% 3 24 −21
  Fiji Warriors 3 1 2 0 33.33% 73 82 −9
  France 2 0 2 0 0.00% 40 70 −30
  France XV 3 0 3 0 0.00% 16 136 −120
  Georgia 7 2 5 0 28.57% 104 175 −71
  Germany 1 0 1 0 0.00% 21 24 −3
  Hong Kong 1 1 0 0 100% 28 3 +25
  Italy 5 0 5 0 0.00% 52 147 −95
  Emerging Italy 4 2 2 0 50% 90 89 +1
  Italy A 1 0 1 0 0% 13 31 –18
  Japan 6 1 5 0 16.67% 74 201 −127
  Kazakhstan 1 1 0 0 100% 44 7 +37
  Morocco 2 1 1 0 100% 36 24 +12
  Namibia 6 5 1 0 83.33% 204 156 +48
  New Zealand 1 0 1 0 0.00% 0 73 −73
  New Zealand XV 1 0 1 0 0.00% 3 64 −61
  Paraguay 26 25 0 1 96.15% 1322 238 +1084
  Peru 1 1 0 0 100% 10 6 +4
  Portugal 10 7 3 0 70% 234 142 +92
  Romania 13 2 10 1 15.38% 188 354 −166
  Russia 9 5 4 0 55.56% 231 215 +16
  Samoa 1 0 1 0 0.00% 13 60 −47
  Scotland 2 0 2 0 0.00% 31 74 −43
  Scotland A 1 0 1 0 0.00% 3 27 −24
  South Africa 3 0 3 0 0.00% 12 245 −233
South Africa  South Africa President's XV 1 0 1 0 0.00% 9 37 −28
  Spain 15 7 8 0 46.67% 295 272 +23
  United States 20 4 15 1 20% 361 612 −251
  Venezuela 1 1 0 0 100% 92 8 +84
  Wales 2 0 2 0 0.00% 22 89 −67
Total 313 145 163 5 46.33% 7,102 8,100 −998

World Cup record

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Main article: Uruguay at the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup record Qualification
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad Head coach Pos Pld W D L PF PA
New Zealand  Australia  1987 Not invited Not invited
England  France  Ireland  Scotland  Wales  1991 Did not enter Did not enter
South Africa  1995 Did not qualify 2nd 3 2 0 1 91 28
Wales  1999 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 42 97 Squad D. Herrera 4th 9 5 0 4 209 188
Australia  2003 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 56 255 Squad D. Ormaechea 2nd 6 3 0 3 115 144
France  2007 Did not qualify 2nd 6 2 0 4 86 140
New Zealand  2011 1st 6 2 1 3 178 126
England  2015 Pool Stage 4 0 0 4 30 226 Squad P. Lemoine 1st 9 6 1 2 260 168
Japan  2019 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 60 140 Squad E. Meneses 1st 8 8 0 0 318 160
France  2023 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 65 164 Squad 1st 4 3 0 1 101 57
Total — 19 4 0 15 253 882 — — — 51 31 2 18 1358 1011
  Champions    Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place Home venue

Current squad

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On 1 November, Uruguay named a 30-player squad for their 2024 November internationals.

Head Coach: Argentina  Rodolfo Ambrosio

  • Caps Updated: 16 November 2024 (after test v Japan)
Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Joaquín Myszka Hooker (2002-04-15) 15 April 2002 (age 22) 3 Uruguay  Peñarol
Guillermo Pujadas Hooker (1997-02-06) 6 February 1997 (age 27) 36 United States  Chicago Hounds
Diego Arbelo Prop (1994-08-19) 19 August 1994 (age 30) 26 France  Rouen
Ignacio Péculo Prop (1999-02-22) 22 February 1999 (age 25) 21 United States  Chicago Hounds
Mateo Perillo Prop (2000-11-11) 11 November 2000 (age 24) 4 Uruguay  Peñarol
Reinaldo Piussi Prop (1999-05-18) 18 May 1999 (age 25) 9 United States  Miami Sharks
Mateo Sanguinetti Prop (1992-07-26) 26 July 1992 (age 32) 89 Uruguay  Peñarol
Felipe Aliaga Lock (1999-09-14) 14 September 1999 (age 25) 13 Uruguay  Peñarol
Federico de Los Santos Lock 0 Uruguay  Los Cuervos
Ignacio Dotti Lock (1994-08-18) 18 August 1994 (age 30) 65 United States  Old Glory
Manuel Leindekar Lock (1997-04-23) 23 April 1997 (age 27) 37 France  Oyonnax
Lucas Bianchi Back row (2001-03-26) 26 March 2001 (age 23) 17 Uruguay  Peñarol
Santiago Civetta Back row (1998-02-28) 28 February 1998 (age 26) 35 Uruguay  Peñarol
Manuel Diana Back row (1996-03-07) 7 March 1996 (age 28) 46 Uruguay  Peñarol
Carlos Deus Back row (2001-07-05) 5 July 2001 (age 23) 11 Uruguay  Peñarol
Francisco Suárez Folch Back row 0 Argentina  La Plata
Arturo Ten Hoever Back row (2004-01-15) 15 January 2004 (age 20) 0 France  Rouen
Santiago Álvarez Scrum-half (2001-12-24) 24 December 2001 (age 22) 11 Uruguay  Peñarol
Pedro Hoblog Scrum-half (2003-06-14) 14 June 2003 (age 21) 0 Uruguay  Peñarol
Ícaro Amarillo Fly-half (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 20) 2 Uruguay  Peñarol
Joaquín Suárez Fly-half (2003-05-11) 11 May 2003 (age 21) 4 Uruguay  Peñarol
Juan Manuel Alonso Centre (2001-09-19) 19 September 2001 (age 23) 14 Uruguay  Peñarol
Felipe Arcos Pérez Centre (2001-05-17) 17 May 2001 (age 23) 13 Uruguay  Peñarol
Bautista Basso Centre (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 (age 23) 10 Uruguay  Peñarol
Ignacio Facciolo Wing (1998-12-28) 28 December 1998 (age 25) 2 Uruguay  Peñarol
Juan González Wing 2 Uruguay  Peñarol
Gastón Mieres Wing (1989-10-05) 5 October 1989 (age 35) 85 Uruguay  Peñarol
Mateo Viñals Wing (1998-10-07) 7 October 1998 (age 26) 6 Uruguay  Peñarol
Ignacio Álvarez Fullback (2002-02-28) 28 February 2002 (age 22) 35 Uruguay  Peñarol
Baltazar Amaya Fullback (1999-05-26) 26 May 1999 (age 25) 13 Uruguay  Peñarol

Individual all-time records

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Most matches

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# Player Pos Tenure Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Won Lost Draw %
1 Diego Magno Flanker 2008-2024 107 65 42 60 12 50 55 2 48.00
2 Mateo Sanguinetti Prop 2014- 89 74 15 20 4 44 45 0 50.00
3 Gaston Mieres Fullback 2010- 85 73 12 85 17 45 38 2 56.57
4 Andres Vilaseca Center 2013- 81 78 3 100 16 44 36 1 58.33
5 Rodrigo Silva Fullback 2012-2023 78 71 7 114 19 41 37 0 56.71
6 Leandro Leivas Wing 2008-2019 76 63 13 120 24 32 42 2 43.42
Mario Sagario Prop 2006-2019 76 53 23 5 1 32 42 2 43.42
8 Juan Manuel Gaminara Flanker 2010-2019 71 66 5 35 7 34 35 2 49.29
Alejandro Nieto Number 8 2012-2019 71 62 9 35 7 40 30 1 57.04
10 Carlos Arboleya Hooker 2004-2018 67 39 28 25 5 29 37 1 44.02
German Kessler Hooker 2015- 67 51 16 100 20 38 29 0 55.80
Rodrigo Sanchez Prop 1996-2009 67 58 9 25 5 26 41 0 38.80

Last updated: Japan vs Uruguay, 16 November 2024. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most tries

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# Player Pos Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries
1 Diego Ormaechea Number 8 1979-1999 54 51 3 151 33
2 Leandro Leivas Wing 2008-2019 76 63 13 120 24
3 German Kessler Hooker 2015- 67 51 16 100 20
4 Rodrigo Silva Fullback 2012-2023 78 77 7 114 19
5 Gaston Mieres Fullback 2010- 85 73 12 85 17
6 Andrés Vilaseca Center 2013- 81 78 3 100 16
7 Santiago Arata Scrum-half 2016- 50 34 16 75 15
8 Federico Sciarra Scrum-half 1990-1999 40 38 2 272 14
9 Alfonso Cardoso Centre 1995-2003 38 35 3 67 13
10 Diego Magno Flanker 2008-2024 107 65 42 60 12

Last updated: Japan vs Uruguay, 16 November 2024. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most points

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# Player Pos Span Mat Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1 Felipe Berchesi Fly-half 2011- 49 381 3 57 83 1
2 Federico Sciarra Scrum-half 1990-1999 40 272 14 36 44 1
3 Juan Menchaca Fullback 1998-2007 39 254 6 28 51 5
4 Jerónimo Etcheverry Fly-half 2008-2016 45 213 8 37 30 3
5 Mathias Arocena Fly-half 2005-2014 36 204 8 25 37 1
6 Federico Favaro Wing 2013-2021 37 200 11 38 23 0
7 Marcelo Nicola Fly-half 1989-1995 22 178 10 36 20 0
8 Agustín Ormaechea Scrum-half 2011-2023 60 159 8 22 25 0
9 Jorge Zerbino Flanker 1973-1985 27 157 8 19 29 0
10 Diego Ormaechea Number 8 1979-1999 54 151 33 0 0 0

Last updated: Japan vs Uruguay, 16 November 2024. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most matches as captain

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# Player Pos Span Mat Won Lost Draw % Pts Tries
1 Juan Manuel Gaminara Flanker 2016-2019 40 27 13 0 67.50 20 4
2 Diego Ormaechea Number 8 1985-1999 37 20 17 0 55.55 109 23
3 Andres Vilaseca Center 2019-present 24 15 9 0 66.00 15 3
4 Jorge Zerbino Flanker 1975–1985 20 12 6 2 65.00 120 7
5 Diego Aguirre Fly-half 2002-2003 16 6 10 0 37.50 21 1

Last updated: Japan vs Uruguay, 16 November 2024. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Notable players

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Past Coaches

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Since the 1999 Rugby World Cup

Years Coach
1994–2000 Uruguay  Daniel Herrera
2001–2003 Uruguay  Diego Ormaechea
2004–2005 Uruguay  Sebastián Piñeyrúa
2006–2007 Uruguay  Nicolás Inciarte & Uruguay  Fernando Silva
2007 Uruguay  José Brancato & Uruguay  Francisco Berrutti
2007–2008 Uruguay  Alberico Passadore
2008–2009 Argentina  García Porcel
2009 Uruguay  Felipe Puig
2010 Argentina  Gonzalo Camardón
2011 Uruguay  Sebastián Piñeyrúa
2011–2015 Uruguay  Pablo Lemoine
2016–2023 Argentina  Esteban Meneses
2024–present Argentina  Rodolfo Ambrosio

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Richards, p54, Chapter 2 Practising the Games of the Anglo-Saxon...
  2. ^ "Uruguay qualify for Rugby World Cup 2015" Archived 2014-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, IRB.com, 11 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Uruguay shock Fiji in World Cup thriller to pull off historic victory". Guardian. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Uruguay pull off massive shock with World Cup win over Fiji". The 42. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Rugby: Nightclub files criminal complaint against Uruguay players". Kyodo News. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Men's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  7. ^ "RWC 2023 Warm-Up – Uruguay vs Chile – ARN Guide". americas rugby news. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Uruguay hold on to win at home against Chile". americas rugby news. 29 July 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  9. ^ Uruguay rugby statistics
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