Los Cóndores M20, Chile's youth rugby team, are champions of the World Rugby U20 Challenger. On Saturday they beat Belgium 30-17 in the final, played at Parque Mahuida in Santiago.
BioBioChile reported that the team coached by Eduardo Etcheto got the better of the European side. According to Cooperativa, Chile finished the tournament unbeaten, with four wins from four matches.
In the final, Clemente Rodríguez, Rafael Silva and Marco Alvano scored tries. Alvano was shown a red card during the match. Jaime Soler added points with his kicking.
On the road to the final, the team won by wide margins. Chile beat Hong Kong 83-19, Romania 50-9 and Brazil 80-7. In total it scored 243 points and conceded 52 in the championship.
The World Rugby U20 Challenger is the second most important tournament for youth national teams. It is organized by World Rugby, the sport's global governing body, and only the U20 World Cup ranks above it. Chile hosted that youth World Cup in 2008 and 2013.
Team Chile, the account of the Comité Olímpico de Chile (Chile's Olympic Committee), wrote on X that the title is a first for Chilean rugby and congratulated the players, coaching staff and officials.
The title adds another achievement for Chilean rugby, but it does not settle everything. According to BioBioChile, Chile's qualification for the 2027 U20 World Cup is not yet secured. The sources do not explain what is still needed to earn that spot.
