Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifier Spotlight: Tonga and Chile
RWC 2023 qualifier Spotlight: Tonga’s bid to qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2023 started more than a year ago when they were defeated by Samoa in both games of the Oceania 1 play-off match (42-13 and 37-15), 79-28 in collective. Ikale Tahi then bounced back to beat the Cook Islands 54-10, earning them the right to an Asia/Pacific 1 play-off against Hong Kong on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Rugby World Cup fans can buy Rugby World Cup 2023 Tickets from our website.
A 44-22 win in that match means they can now look forward to their ninth Rugby World Cup tournament, having only missed the 1991 World Cup.
Of the three Pacific islands participating in the Rugby World Cup, Tonga is the only one to have made it past the billiards stadium, and they hope to do so in France next year.
RWC 2023 qualifier Spotlight: Here we briefly discuss the history of the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup Debut: May 24, 1987 – Canada 37-4 Tonga, McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand
Rugby World Cup appearances: 29 wins, 8 draws, 0 losses, 21 points, 472 points, 966 points, 28% win rate
Most RWC appearances: Siale Piutau, Sione Kalamafoni, 12
Most RWC Attempts: Telusa Veainu, 5
Best Result: Pool phases
Eligibility for RWC 2023: Asia-Pacific 1
Most Memorable Match: France 14-19 Tonga, Wellington, RWC 2011
Some 6,000 foreign players in red shirts created a flamboyant atmosphere in Wellington and caused one of the biggest upheavals in Rugby World Cup history.
Tonga half-timer Kurt Morath kicked four penalties and converted Sukanaivalu Hufanga’s attempt as the Pacific Islanders were knocked out of the 2011 championship.
Iconic moment: Sipi Tau
Tonga’s exciting pre-match ceremonies challenge opponents and are always disappointing.
Low point: Dropping a century of points in RWC 1999 against England
Tonga had hoped to follow Samoa’s win over Wales earlier in the game to spark another World Cup turmoil when they met England at Twickenham, but they were sorely disappointed by the lack of discipline. Three cards – one red and two yellows – ruined any chance they had of impressing England rugby HQ in the three minutes before half-time. Rugby World Cup fans can buy rwc 2023 Tickets from our website.
Iconic Player: Epi Taione
The bustling 19 Stone Centre, no stranger to controversy in the past, caused quite a stir on the eve of the 2007 Rugby World Cup when he changed his name to ‘Paddy Power’ by contract vote and dyed his hair after signing a sponsorship deal Cheng Green has a deal with the Irish bookmaker of the same name.
Taione started all four games in his second Rugby World Cup, making his debut in 1999 and scoring in Tonga’s 19-15 win over Samoa.
Record breaker: Kurt Morath
Morath was one of the heroes of the 2011 RWC win over France. Where he became the all-time Rugby World Cup goal scorer with 73 points.
Did you know?
Tonga played the oldest starting XV in Rugby World Cup history (31 years 38 days) in a Group C match against Argentina at RWC Leicester in 2015.
Quote:
“In Tonga, it’s like this: our faith, family, rugby, and then food. That’s what we work for: our country. We’re really just against the world. Some of us weren’t even paid.” – Full-back Telusa Veainu was completely candid about the sacrifices Tongan players made during his press conference at Rugby World Cup 2019.
RWC 2023 Qualifier Spotlight: Chile
While the Chilean team is no stranger to the Rugby World Cup, head coach Pablo Lemoine’s relationship with the World Cup is one with a long history.
The Uruguayan represented his home country at two Rugby World Cups in 1999 and 2003, making seven appearances in all competitions.
The tight-head kicked off Los Teros’ first Rugby World Cup game against Spain in 1999, before leaving the league’s biggest stage four years later with a record 111-13 win over eventual champions England.
Lemoine was named head coach of Los Teros in 2012. While his goal was to see Uruguay qualify for RWC 2015. A team that had already missed the first two games.
That goal came in a tense scene in the capital of Montevideo, with Uruguay knocking out Russia after the most dramatic replay.
Lemoine’s performance in Uruguay was extraordinary. But his achievement in leading Chile to the first Rugby World Cup was perhaps even more impressive. Rugby World Cup 2023 fans can buy France Rugby World Cup Tickets from our website.
Under Lemoine, 47, who became Los Condores head coach in August 2018. He rose to their highest-ever position in the Capgemini-powered men’s world rugby league table as one of the world’s emerging rugby nations.
Here we take a look at their past appearances in Rugby World Cup qualifiers and their route to 2023 Rugby World Cup Americas 2 tickets.
As America 2, Chile will line up in Group D at RWC 2023, along with England, Argentina, Japan and Samoa.
Qualifying details for the Rugby World Cup:
1987 – Did not attend
1991 – Did not attend
1995 – Chile loses to Paraguay (25-24), Uruguay (14-6) and Argentina (70-7) in three games of the South American Championship
1999 – Chile begins their campaign with victories over Trinidad and Tobago (35-6) and Bermuda (65-8). A 54-6 win over Paraguay then advanced to the next stage. But a 20-14 loss to Uruguay put an end to their interest in the game.
2003 – Chile defeated Brazil (46-6) and Paraguay (57-5) to join Canada. Uruguay and the United States are in the final qualifying stage by two places. Chile beat Uruguay (10-6) but fail to win another match
2007 – Chile again defeats Paraguay (38-22) and Brazil (57-13) to reach the final round. But misses after losing to Argentina (60-13) and Uruguay (43-15)
2011 – Chile defeated Brazil (79-3) but were defeated by Uruguay (46-9), ending their hopes of promotion
2015 – Chile defeated Brazil again (38-22), but lost to Uruguay (23-9)
2019 – Chile’s dream was beaten again by Uruguay (27-11) over Brazil (15-10) and Paraguay (66-7)
Road to Rugby World Cup 2023
RWC 2023 qualifier Spotlight, Chile was set to face Colombia in the first stage of the South American qualifier. But they won after the match was cancelled due to COVID-19 cases in the Los Tucanes team.
Chile is level with Brazil and Uruguay in the round-robin, requiring the top two to continue their battle. They defeated Brazil 23-13 but still lost to Uruguay 15-10 with a lead at halftime.
This puts Chile against Canada, the losers of the first playoffs in America. Canada won the first leg 22-21 after Robbie Povey’s last free throw. But Chile won 34-15 a week later thanks to Santiago Videla’s 23 points to end the Canada Record at the Rugby World Cup.
As a result, Chile advanced to the America 2 playoffs with a two-legged match against the United States.
Chile’s 45-5 loss to the Scottish A’s was the biggest test in their history, with 8,213 spectators.
Two weeks later, Los Condores returned to the Estadio Santa Laura Universidad SEK in Santiago to meet the Eagles, where they were defeated 22-21.
With just one point between the two teams. Los Condores had every reason to believe their dreams weren’t over. As it turned out to be a 31-29 win in their return game in Glendale, Colorado.
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