Chile book Rugby World Cup ticket as Samoa’s hopes left hanging by a thread
Chile beat Samoa to secure 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification.
Chile have secured qualification for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup after sealing a 31-12 win over Samoa in the South America/Pacific play-off second leg on Saturday.
This is the second straight tournament that Chile have booked their ticket to the elite show, as they came out on top at Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar this weekend.
The home win sees Chile become the 23rd side to qualify for the expanded 24-team tournament in Australia as they prevailed in front of a capacity crowd of supporters.
Drawn first leg
The teams came into this meeting all tied up after drawing 32-32 in Salt Lake City, Utah last week, a match where Chile squandered a 19-point lead to the islanders.
With Australia 2027 qualification up for grabs, Los Cóndores, led by Rugby World Cup veteran and captain Clemente Saavedra, had a party in a stadium washed in red.
The opening half saw Chile go to the break with a 13-point lead thanks to solid defence and to their capacity to turn into points the different chances Samoa gave them.
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The hosts would manage to finish with a 19-point buffer thanks to Nicolas Saab’s crossing, which came after first-half efforts from Benjamin Videla and Inaki Ayarza.
Samoa’s tries came via Melani Nanai and Jonah Mau’u in a disappointing setback for the team.
Samoa, who have featured in every Rugby World Cup since 1991, have one last shot to reach Australia via the Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai (November 8-18). They join Belgium and Namibia with the winner of the Brazil-Paraguay two-leg play-off, set for October 11 and 18 in Asunción and São Paulo, to complete the four-team line-up.
Chile now awaits the Rugby World Cup 2027 draw in December 2025 to learn their pool opponents. There will be six pools of four nations in the expanded 24-team format.
RWC bow in 2023
Los Cóndores made their Rugby World Cup bow in 2023 with defeats against Japan (42-12), England (71-0), Samoa (43-17), and Argentina (59-5), but were a hit with fans.
Under the guidance of coach Pablo Lemoine – a former Uruguay star in 1999 and 2003, and coach of Los Teros in 2015 – Chile has solidified their spot at rugby’s top table.