Selknam (rugby union)

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Selknam is a professional rugby union team based in Santiago, Chile. The team was founded in 2019 to compete in Súper Liga Americana de Rugby.

Selknam
Founded2019; 5 years ago (2019)
Ground(s)Estadio Municipal de La Pintana (Capacity: 5,000)
Coach(es)Jacob Mangin
Captain(s)Clemente Saavedra
League(s)Súper Liga Americana de Rugby
20213rd
Playoffs
Semi-finalist
1st kit
2nd kit
[[2024 Super Rugby Americas season|Current season]]

History

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The franchise was founded in November 2019 as a Chilean member of the American Super League, a South American Rugby project to professionalize rugby on the continent and with financial support from World Rugby. Its name is a tribute to the indigenous people of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, originating in present-day Chile and Argentina.

 
The flag of Selknam people is the inspiration for the club colours.

In January 2020, the first player of the franchise was confirmed, he was the captain and leader of the team, the third line Ignacio Silva. Selknam's first squad was made up of 35 players, 27 Chilean and 8 foreigners, including players from Argentina, Fiji (Vesi Rarawa) and Tonga (Johnny Ika and Latiume Fosita).

On March 4, 2020, led by Pablo Lemoine, they played the first official professional match between South American teams, against Peñarol Rugby, triumphing as a visitor by a score of 15 to 13 at the Estadio Charrúa, in Montevideo, Uruguay. On March 14, 2020, they played the first home match in their history, the rival was Ceibos from Argentina, the result was a 16-32 defeat, but the main peculiarity of that match was that for the first time the Estadio Nacional de Chile was host of a rugby match, a stadium previously used to play football. After this match the tournament was canceled by Sudamérica Rugby due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

In the second season of the league, now under the direction of Nicolás Bruzzone, the first played entirely, the team finished in third position in the regular phase, qualifying for the semifinals of the tournament where they lost 17 to 14 against Peñarol Rugby at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo.

In the 2022 season, they managed to beat the Argentine team, Jaguares 10. On May 27, 2022, they played their first final in the competition, losing by a score of 24 to 13 against Peñarol Rugby, the final was played at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo.

Since 2023, it has participated in the new Super Rugby Americas, and it is considered that the team was a fundamental pillar in the first qualification of the Chile national rugby union team to the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The 2023 season was the first in which the squad was made up exclusively of national players, in preparation for participation in the Rugby World Cup.

Stadium

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Selknam's home stadium has not been formally announced yet but it is expected they will play at the home of the Chile national team; Estadio Santiago Bueras.[1] with the squad training at CAR Feruchi Rugby as of mid-January[2] On 2 March 2020 it was confirmed that Selknam will play the opening game of the 2020 season at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos.[3]

Current squad

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Selknam squad for the 2024 Super Rugby Americas season[4]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Jorge Delgado Hooker   Chile
Tomás Dussaillant Hooker   Chile
Diego Escobar Hooker   Chile
Norman Aguayo Prop   Chile
Javier Carrasco Prop   Chile
Simón Donoso Prop   Chile
Ignacio González Prop   Chile
Baltazar Gurruchaga Prop   Chile
Iñaki Gurruchaga Prop   Chile
Esteban Inostroza Prop   Chile
Marco López Prop   Chile
Salvador Lues Prop   Chile
Federico Albrisi Lock   Argentina
Javier Eissmann Lock   Chile
Santiago Pedrero Lock   Chile
Augusto Sarmiento Lock   Chile
Matías Vega Lock   Chile
Santiago Edwards Back row   Chile
Alfonso Escobar Back row   Chile
Andrés Kuzmanic Back row   Chile
Raimundo Martínez Back row   Chile
Clemente Saavedra (c) Back row   Chile
Ernesto Tchimino Back row   Chile
Inti Ubeda Back row   Chile
Player Position Union
Sebastián Bianchi Scrum-half   Chile
Rafael Iriarte Scrum-half   Argentina
Marcelo Torrealba Scrum-half   Chile
Benjamín Videla Scrum-half   Chile
Nicolás Roger Fly-half   Argentina
Tomás Salas Fly-half   Chile
Iñaki Tuset Fly-half   Chile
Clemente Armstrong Centre   Chile
Martín Dumay Centre   Chile
Martín Escobar Centre   Chile
Matías Garafulic Centre   Chile
Jose Ignacio Larenas Centre   Chile
Nicolás Saab Centre   Chile
Iñaki Delguy Wing   Argentina
Cristóbal Game Wing   Chile
Nicolás Garafulic Wing   Chile
Luca Strabucchi Wing   Chile
Clemente Ulloa Wing   Chile
Franco Velarde Wing   Chile
Damián Fliegel Fullback   Chile
Federico Kennedy Fullback   Chile
Felipe Méndez Fullback   Chile
  • Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
  • * denotes players qualified to play for Chile on dual nationality or residency grounds.

References

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  1. ^ [1] "Selknam: Lista de chilenos estaría casi definida"
  2. ^ [2] " More players identified as Selknam trains in secret"
  3. ^ [3] " Selknam to play host to Ceibos at Chile’s National Stadium"
  4. ^ "SRA 2024 - Selknam". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
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