Selknam already has his chosen ones for his Super Rugby Americas debut

The Chilean franchise “Selknam” will have its first big challenge of 2023 this Saturday. The nationals will go to the field of the The Municipal Stadium of La Pintana will face the American Raptors in what will be the start of Super Rugby America, a tournament that replaces SLAR.

This is why everything is already ready for the duel which will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday . The one where Selknam set his initial XV. Those directed by Nicolás Bruzzone will debut with Salvador Luez, Tomás Dusaillant, Iñaki Gurruchaga, Santiago Pedrero, Pablo Huete, Clemente Saavedra, Ignacio Silva, Joaquín Milesi, Benjamín Videla, Rodrigo Fernández, Gaspar Moltedo, Matías Garafulic, Santiago Videla, Nicolás Garafulic and Francisco Urroz.

Those who will remain in the reserve will instead be Diego Escobar, Javier Carrasco, Lucas Bordigoni, Bruno Sáez, Raimundo Martínez, Lukas Carvallo, José Ignacio Larenas and Pablo Casas.

A team that stands out with a nice hybrid between experience and youth, a key formula for a duel that promises to be very physical. Although in Selknam they think more of themselves than of the rival. “Although we have done a study and analysis, the truth is that we haven’t seen much of the Raptors play, that’s the reality. Without lying, during these three four months of work, since last December, we have focused on ourselves. Certainly, once we enter the competition, we can start working on our rivals, but without any degree of self-centeredness and with a lot of humility, we understand that we have to worry about doing things right. This is why we believe that the work and individual development of each of the areas is very important. “Commented Bruzzone to La Tercera during a press conference.

This is where Matías Garafulic explained his role as one of the captains of the franchise and how he behaves with young people from his seat, given that he is only 22 years old. “This is my fourth SLAR, I’m very happy with the captaincy. Personally, I prefer to show my leadership on the pitch with actions. I like to demonstrate by actions what they have to do. Obviously, I have always felt supported by the most experienced who always help us on the pitch. I am very happy with this new role and I am looking to continue to grow to be on the list of 33 who will go to the World Cup in France “, he exposed to the media.

The dream of reaching France will largely depend on what he and his teammates can do in this new SLAR. Selknam has always been the backbone of Los Cóndores and for this year it is even clearer, since for the first time the franchise will not have foreign players in its ranks, opening up the opportunity to players who do not previously had no chance to show themselves in this landscape.

In addition, the format of this 2023 is different, since not only three teams join the competition, but it will be played in two-way duels and not in a bubble. This system was planned from the first edition, but it was only for this season (the fourth to be played) that it was possible to achieve it.