The Chilean team plays the United States for the key first leg that will define qualification for the 2023 World Cup and the third line takes the opportunity to speak with El Deportivo before the most important duel of their lives.
When Chile stepped out onto the Santa Laura pitch to face Scotland, they were missing a usual number. Among the national players there was not Martín Sigren, their captain and star of the third row. A tear caused him to miss the iconic duel against Team Cardo.
Today, from 6:00 p.m., he will be present in the first leg of the key against the United States, which will qualify him for the 2023 World Cup. It will be his revenge and his great opportunity, in a match that he dreamed all his life.
How was the recovery after the injury?
It’s a big tear, four centimeters that happened to me on May 28. I had to get platelets so I could recover quickly because they were the only thing that could help me speed up the process.
Do you suffer more off the pitch?
It was hard because for one, as a leader, not being on the pitch is hard. In my kind of leadership, I have to be there, because that’s where I put the thermometer. Being on the sidelines, I had a little trouble fulfilling my function as I like. In the case of the game against Scotland, fortunately, I was able to be on the pitch, during the dressing room process, and experience it as if I was playing. It would have hurt me more to see him as a fan.
What lessons are learned from this game?
One of the most important goals was to see a solid group, to fight until the 80th minute, and that was achieved. For an unconsolidated group like ours, such a result could perfectly have broken it, frustrated it or forced it to function under individualities. This has not happened to us. We stayed on the ground throughout the game.
Now the game of their lives against the United States…
We predicted that it will be a rainy game, with a muddy pitch which will generate a tighter game, but I think the work of the attackers will be essential. To be able to generate frustrations there and take advantage of the fact that we have the height in our favor and that technically we can also have opportunities. Another factor is going to be the management of the pressure, because in games like this, we talk about the ball which ends up putting the pressure on and we play to pass this pressure and know when to attack and when to defend. Sometimes it’s better to transfer that pressure and hope the other person is wrong. In that sense, I think chess, knowing which balls are attacked and which are not, is going to define the game.
Four years ago, did this scenario seem possible to you?
Four years ago, I had an illusion, a perhaps distant dream. Now it’s still a dream, but it also becomes a goal. Today we realize that we have the tools to be able to go to the World Cup.
What are the pivotal moments of this project?
I think 2019 was a very difficult year for us, but where we learned to compete. We lost against Romania and Spain, we realized that the rivals are not giants, that they were not superhuman and that they are one, in flesh and blood. The arrival of the American Super League of Rugby (SLAR) has also helped us a lot. He brought professionalism to Chile and this promise of being able to devote himself and receive a salary that allows us to be ambitious in this career. This opens doors for us to make it a priority.
Are the doors of rugby opening in Chile?
That’s our goal and I think we’re achieving it. We know how important decentralization is. This federation knows the importance of growing rugby throughout Chile, not only to continue to grow, but also to generate more competition. The regional associations still have to organize themselves. In the north, people are without competition because the association does not have a tournament, it does not compete. Here in Santiago, a tournament truly designed to achieve sustainable and comprehensive growth, aligned with the federation, is not organized either. All the associations must be behind the federation and the plan must be synchronized. There are still associations that carry out their own actions and pursue their personal ambitions more than what we could generate at the national level.
Rugby and hockey, today in the World Cup, are they not recognized as they should be?
In the traditional media we see that they dedicate very small spaces to us. You watch any major media outlet and you will read 20 pages for football and one page for all other sports. Not long ago they told us about the first time rugby played in Santa Laura and when they got back to the studio the hosts started talking about the farewell a football player had in this stage, leaving aside the subject of rugby. There is a lack of recognition, because even in the bad times we go through in football, they continue to give us much less space.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
