The Cóndores 7 will be seeking their place on the global circuit in South Africa

From April 20-22 and April 28-30, Los Cóndores 7 will strive to secure their place on the global circuit in the World Rugby Sevens Challenger. The tournament will be held in the same format as the Olympic Games, with 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams, at the Marcotter Stadium in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Chile will be present in the men’s draw and will contest the sole spot in the seventh Rugby World Series 2024 series, the highest global class, against: Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Jamaica, Italy, Hong Kong, South Korea, Tonga and Papua Nieva Guinea. Zimbabwe and Uganda. The 12 teams will be divided into three groups of 4 teams, where they will play against everyone. The top two finishers from each group, plus the two best third-place finishers, advance to the single-elimination round.

For the first tournament, 20-22, Los Condores will be in Group B, along with Italy, Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea. Group A will feature Germany, Tonga, Zimbabwe and Belgium, while Group C will include Uganda, South Korea, Brazil and Jamaica. For the second tournament, a new match will be drawn.

Finally, the team that has been declared the winner of the Challenger Series 2023, at the London Sevens, which will be held in May, will face a home tie-breaker race against the teams that finish in positions 12 to 14 of the general classification of the tournament. World circuit after the first 10 dates. The winner of the home run will secure a place in the 2024 World Seven Championships.

The national rep team qualified for this tournament after winning seven in Costa Rica, in November last year. In said tournament Los Condores were declared undefeated champions, defeating Argentina in the final match.

Chile had a great chance to qualify for the world circuit last year, when the Challenger Series was held at Santa Laura Stadium. Unfortunately, despite the good form they showed, Los Condores fell in the semi-finals against Georgia and the place ended up in the hands of Uruguay. On that occasion, Chile also participated in the women’s draw, with Japan as the winners.

Most recently, Los Cóndores 7 participated as a regional guest on the Los Angeles and Vancouver stages of the World Sevens Circuit. The Chileans did not get victories, but they did get experience. The tournament served to give a young team a chance, which included 9 emerging players, including Tomás Alvarado, Martin Dumay, Diego Graeber, Inaki Tossett, Dante Marchesi and Federico Kennedy.

At the moment, 21 players are working under the orders of head coach Joaquín Todicini and his team, with the aim of participating in the Challenge Series. Soon, the coach will have to identify the 12 men who will go in search of a place for Chile in the world’s elite seven. Players on trial include names like Clemente Armstrong, Benjamin Videla, Diego Warnken, Cristobal Game, Luca Strabuchi and Ernesto Cimino, all from Silkname.

Also others with history representing Chile such as Tomás Salas, Gonzalo Lara and Luca Avelli, as well as young people taking their first steps, as is the case with the aforementioned Kennedy, Greiber and Marchesse.

Cóndores 7 will go for a new attempt to enter the world’s top seven, the World Championship. Entering an entire season could mean facing the most important stages of the global calendar in the way, against higher level teams. Huge friction for the growth of Chilean rugby.