Pablo Lemoine analyzes Chile’s defeat against Scotland: “A lot of teams would have given up and lost 80 points”

Cóndores’ defeat in front of Scotland’s projection team left learning and tasks behind. 80 minutes where the national team started surprised by the level of a top team, but where they also managed to recover and equalize the actions in the second half. The 45-5 loss hurts, but it doesn’t overwhelm. What was experienced in Santa Laura is an apprenticeship for the real duel, that of July 9 against the United States.

That’s why the head coach, Pablo Lemoine, as well as the captain, Rodrigo Fernández, were calm during the press conference after the game. There they made an in-depth analysis of the match which marked a milestone in the history of national rugby.

The big strength the Condors showed was overcoming an avalanche at the start. The postcard of the first minutes was that of a team overwhelmed by the speed and dynamism of a team which, although being a projection team, is immersed in the world elite. In fact, the image shown by Chile was very different each time.

“The team made adjustments at the end of the first half to get back on their feet and in the second they were already able to dominate areas that allowed them to play, make matches and score points. That’s the big lesson, from time to time we were able to really understand the rhythms and the gaps that we were experiencing and that in the first 20 minutes we didn’t see them… A lot of teams today hui could have given up and lost by 80 points. The boys kept playing and it’s a great demonstration of the strengths we have “, commented Lemoine, who insisted a lot on the combat capacity of his workforce.

An idea that Rodrigo Fernández, the captain of Cóndores, also thought of. “This game is very useful to us, because it opens our eyes. It shows us that if we are not prepared and pay attention to all the details, they will miss us. There were times when they surprised us and we really struggled to defend them. In this sense, it is our great lesson: we cannot let go of the game from one moment to the next and against the United States this is what we must improve to take the key. he started to say.

These moments of disconnection were seen at many points in this first half, especially when the Chilean defense was unable to adapt to the constant changes of pace and line breaks made by Scotland. . Indeed, the first tests of the Europeans have always come from vertical and fast games.

Something Cóndores is sure to improve upon. “I think we can go a step further. We weren’t up to it sometimes and I think we got it inside. It was a mental factor, which we will not miss against the United States. They will find something else, I can assure you because we can give more and we will prove it. Fernandez commented.

Lemoine spoke at length about his players’ performance in the fixed positions, highlighting what they achieved in the line-up and admitting how complex scrums can be against teams like Scotland, mainly due to the height of the players. Europeans, which considerably exceeds the Chileans. A scenario that will also repeat itself against the United States, which has a large workforce.

“In the lines we had a record close to 85%, counting to get it, that’s a good number when you see the sizes that were next. I suffer from scrum because of a lack of our physical volume, we didn’t have the heaviest players and it distorts the scrum system we have making it hard for us to adapt it when we have players with other characteristics he analyzed.

In any case, the results of the Uruguayan coach are positive. He understands and explains that the rival they faced is a world class, virtually flawless team with another competitive edge. “It was a good battle against players from another level. The front row have played the entire Six Nations this year, so that’s another level. They’re playing on another level and exposing themselves on another level, so we can’t go complaining because that would be hair-raising. It doesn’t work like that, we’re happy with what we were able to do “, spear.

But the big target has never been Scotland. The focus has always been on the United States and the key that will define qualification for the World Cup in France 2023. On July 9, the first leg will take place in Santa Laura and on July 16 the second leg in Denver. That is why time is short and what has been learned will remain latent.

“We have learned that an attitude can be reversed and mistakes can be corrected in a short time. Scotland have a number of seasonings which can be very similar to what we will find against the United States “warned Lemoine, although it was clear that July 9 will be something else.

“They are similar, but not identical. They can be just as big and heavy, but they are not the same. They don’t play the same way, they don’t have the same experience. We were looking for physical volume against Scotland, but we also found technical quality and that they could last 80 minutes. The next two games have an additional seasoning which is pressure, which we are preparing for a lot. That’s why we exposed ourselves to play a match against Scotland here, with all the spectacle that was put on, with 8,000 people. If we expose ourselves to that, it’s because we want pressure.” ground.

The idea of ​​pressure is also shared by Rodrigo Fernández, who also said he was prepared for it. “We do a very important mental work before the matches. We work with coaches who have helped us a lot for this. I think we sometimes made mistakes, but in the long term we see a very mentally prepared team for the challenges we face. “, he concluded.

The lessons to improve are clear, with concentration being the most important to improve. On the other hand, dedication is what excites Chileans. Against the United States they will have to fight and defend, but in a different way to what they did against Scotland. With the North Americans, we expect a much more physical and compact duel than against the Europeans. Of course, the size of their rivals will be very similar.