Rugby With special attention on the field and in search of a record number: the details of the historic duel between the Condores and Scotland at the National Stadium

This Saturday, Chile will host one of the most important rugby matches in its history. It will not be a qualifying duel or a decisive phase of a tournament, but it will be a confrontation against the sixth best team on the planet. And the friendly match that Los Cóndores will play against Scotland will bring the elite of the oval to the National Stadium for the first time. A test that will also be decisive to start the road to Australia 2027, the next World Cup XV that World Rugby will play.

For this reason, the anticipation is total and the preparations are excellent. Chile Rugby has announced that there are already more than 12,000 tickets sold, and they are therefore delighted to reach 15,000 participants, the highest number for a rugby match in the country. In addition to the match, the day at the National Stadium will be full of extra-sporting activities, since from 10 am there will be a Fan Fest and at halftime there will be a musical performance by Power Peralta. There will also be a Scottish bagpipe concert before the start of the duel.

But the focus will be on the Ñuñoa field. With a busy schedule of concerts and football matches, the most important stadium in the country is preparing to the maximum to show its best image this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. “There were a series of concerts and the plan we followed was fulfilled, the grass was in very good condition… We have dedicated an exclusive team to the maintenance of the surface of the Central Coliseum and we greatly respect the technical suggestions they make to us. The grass has been reinforced, we will play with taller grass. We have done things correctly so that the show can take place in the best possible way,” says Israel Castro, national director of the National Institute of Sports (IND).

In fact, in the memory of many, there is still the complex state in which the playing field of the Santa Laura stadium was left during the memorable duel against the United States for the qualifiers for France 2023. Of course, the scenario was totally different due to the heavy rains that hit Santiago at that time were the real cause of the damage. “Rugby can coexist with a grass surface, the grass is not affected. The damage is caused by very rainy conditions, but it can happen in any sport. We have taken all the measures and all the work will be done so that the events scheduled later take place in the best possible way,” added Castro.

The issue was also addressed by the Chilean Rugby Federation, which is optimistic about the state of the Coliseum pitch. “In Chile, nothing has ever happened and we always receive positive reports from the cancheros. We know that professional stadiums can be used without problems for both disciplines (football and rugby). This has been seen in England, France, New Zealand, South Africa, where rugby is played one weekend and football on the same pitch the next,” said president Cristian Rudloff.

For the duel, the national team will arrive in one of its best moments. In this international window, they beat Hong Kong (22-17) and Belgium (33-5) managing to rise to 21st place in the world (this week they fell to 22nd), the best in their history. In addition, the national team comes with the impetus of a renewed team for 2024. Closing the French cycle, Lemoine and the Chilean staff have chosen to assume a new process for the 2027 World Cup, adding young players who can accompany the team from here. to Australia.

Opposite will be XV del Cardo, the sixth best team on the planet and which on this tour has beaten the United States (42-7) and Canada (73-12). It will now be the turn of Chile and then Uruguay, thus closing a tour for which they have summoned their best players. Something that did not happen in 2022 when they chose to travel to South America with the B team.