Friendlies, activities with children and deep study of rivals: the experiences of the Condors in a historic World Cup Sevens

The Condors left their well-placed name at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa during the 7-a-side World Cup. It was a special tournament for the Chileans, as for the first time they managed to enter the round of 16. An achievement that was the fruit of hard work, which was accompanied by strong experiences with the community and a feeling of total camaraderie. Julio Blanc, one of the most experienced on campus, gives the details.

The Selknam wing has extensive experience in the Chilean seven-man squad, becoming one of the most important voices in the squad that traveled to South Africa. On his back he tied with South Africa in Las Vegas, beat New Zealand in Silicon Valley and played for a World Series berth in Hong Kong. Milestones which frame the growth of the country in the discipline and demonstrate the importance of the 27-year-old player in the device.

That’s why his analysis of the tournament is also clear. Asked about the keys that led him to cross the first heat for the first time and finish 14th in the event, he answers without hesitation. “The match we played to enter the round of 16 was important. It was against a Germany with which the most experienced have a very balanced series. We also came from the Challenger Series, where we beat them to third place in Santiago and it was the same team. We didn’t feel like they were from another world.” starts narrating from the hotel room, minutes before taking an online test for college.

But it also adds another relevant factor: the team’s willingness to overcome the barrier they failed to overcome in Mar del Plata (2001) and San Francisco (2018). “We are one of the countries with the brand new super youth team and the teammates believed in the story. We left Santiago with the aim of beating Germany and for that we studied a lot. We knew the line-ups by heart, how they pushed through the scrum, who the leaders were, who the penetrating players were, so that’s where it all happened.” he adds.

The young people brought a lot, but also complicated at certain times of the tournament. White admits it, but still pointing out the room for improvement. “With South Africa, the stadium was full. Nothing was heard on the pitch and that also played against us a bit. Anxiety elevates you a lot and because of that the small experience of some players, leads you to do things or actions that in a normal game or under normal circumstances you would not do, but it serves as an experience of learning and I think we improved with England, where it happened for a physical problem more than anything else. We remain with the morale that we can compete with the best teams in the world” he argues.

The Condors Cape Town experience was far from short. The national delegation arrived in South Africa on Sunday 4 September, a week before the start of the tournament, and they had time to prepare as well as possible on African soil. Julio talks about those days of work (and emotions).

“The first training we had in fields very close to the stadium and we also shot in two different gyms, one for ease and another in which we worked more with weights. But the most important thing was a training session we had with the Tonga team on impressive grounds which belonged to a school in Cape Town. It was a conditioned meeting, a concert to meet the players and gain a level “Adds the former Old Boys.

Although another experience before the tournament was the one that marked them the most. Invited by the organization of the World Cup, the Condors agreed to carry out a kind of rugby clinic for the children of the city, generating an instance of great cultural connection and support for new generations.

“The warmth of the kids, the good vibes, the vibes, they see you as superheroes was awesome. We were signing t-shirts, we were playing gigs, we were playing games…there were a lot of kids and we split up into different groups. The barefoot goats, laughing their heads off, despite the fact that it was very cold and we were wearing jackets” remember.

The national delegation has not yet taken off from Cape Town. They will still be a few days of the week in South Africa and then they will return to Chile. The experienced winger says that with the tournament requirements now over, they will now have time to get to know the city a bit. For instance On Monday the whole team went to Table Mountain and on Tuesday they hope to go on a game drive . Between these two activities, Blanc had to continue his studies and pass a university exam 8,000 kilometers away.