Martin Sigren interview: Taking Chile to a first Rugby World Cup and emerging his game at Doncaster Knights
When England line-up to express Martin Sigren interview Taking Chile for what many expect will be a routine pool stage win at next year’s Rugby World Cup in France, look past the faces of the men in white singing ‘God Save The King’ and focus in its place on the boys in red, their faces etched in emotion, as they belt out their nation’s song. Rugby World Cup fans can buy Samoa Vs Chile Tickets from our website.
For nowhere at next year’s worldwide gathering will there be a more uplifting tale than that of the Chilean rugby team, debuting at their first World Cup just two years after turning professional and having compressed the United States – union’s next financial frontier – to get there.
Singing his national anthem as proudly as any of his comrades in arms will be – health permitting – their captain Martin (pronounced Marteen) Sigren. For us the national anthem is huge, it’s emotional. Says Sigren, when asked if the tears will flow as they did for his football complement Ivan Zamorano, the great Inter Milan striker. When he captained his team in a World Cup second-round game touching Brazil at the football World Cup 24 years ago, again in France.
“It’s a military anthem so it’s one you have to scream. In my circumstance I try to sing it but also keep a balance because you don’t want to get too emotional”.
“If you get too emotional that’s vigor you’re wasting and I want all my energies focused on the field.”
It will be difficult keeping personal emotions in check given the enormity of the occasion for Chilean rugby and the journey Sigren has been on to get to that point one that just last month involved joining Doncaster Knights of the RFU Championship. Flattering in the process the first of his country to play professionally in English rugby’s second tier.
The English are actually accountable for Sigren taking up the sport at a British-speaking school back in Chile. When he and his four brothers followed their father into the game. Back when I started playing it was just a willing played among British schools. It was more of an elite sport,” Sigren tells The Yorkshire Post, his education ensuring his English accent is strong.
“Only private schools had rugby, and motionless now that’s something they’re working on to get rugby into more public schools.” The revolution Sigren has been part of is changing that.
Three years ago a high-performance center was industrialized to harness the best talent in the country. They were part-timers, only training in the morning before work or their studies, but a bond was growing. Last year a Chilean franchise was born in the new South American association. Which has a single franchise in six different countries.
“A professional league is enormous, it was a big step for us,” says Sigren.
Then last October Chile knocked Canada out of a World Cup finalist over two legs, ensuring a nation. That had been present at every World Cup since the tournament began in 1987. Would not be going to France. The USA can still qualify via a do-or-die round-robin contest in Dubai next month, but Chile had laid down a historic marker.
A bigger scalp was to come. Now efficiently professional, in July of this year in Colorado, having lost the home leg 22-21 in the capital Santiago. Chile came from three further tries down to beat the much-fancied United States by an opinion and reach a maiden World Cup.
“It’s crazy. People look at that last moment, as us thrashing the USA, but the way. I see it is a much longer path over three years since our new coach came in and we started building the high presentation structure. Says Sigren, Chile’s influential back row forward. . Rugby World Cup fans can buy Argentina Vs Chile Tickets from our website.
“It was three years of sacrifice, of leaving all aside for this, for that shared purpose. Looking to achieve everything with nothing in return”.
“Looking back on that USA game; if your competition up individuals they would beat us nine times out of 10, so what we had to work on was the bond, the collective purpose, what are we doing this for and I think that’s anywhere we were better than them. We wanted it more than them.”
Their reward is a place at world rugby’s top table – four pool sports against England, and Argentina. And Samoa and first up Japan, in Toulouse, next September/October. As ever with passionate Latin American followings, expect a festival atmosphere for Chile’s games in Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille
“We’ve only been receiving pay for the last year, before that, we were training from 6.30 until 8.30 every morning. After which some went to study, and others went to their jobs and their normal life. I’ve got my own little business so I was manipulating the two. It was three years of really hard work.
“We have a really tough group but we just want to get in there and bring the fight and show the essence of battle that all Chilean teams have,” says Sigren of a team known as Los Cóndores.
“It will be a big instant for me as captain. I’m lucky to have a really good squad”.
“With being together for so long we’re almost a family, we take care of each other. And we’ve put so much on the field that there’s a huge bond between us. It will be a beautiful moment. The first World Cup for Chile is a huge change in terms of rugby. But also commercially it’s an opportunity to consolidate the structure we are building.
“We want to prove this is no one-off, that Chilean rugby can use the 2023 Rugby World Cup as a springboard to success for Australia in 2027, and then the United States in 2031.”
Where they express England on Saturday, September 23, and Nantes for the South American derby with Argentina. “Our achievement has really driven everyone crazy back home.
“We’re expecting a big Chilean following in France since it’s such a historic event, they want to be there, to live it,” smiles Sigren”.
“This is what we fought for when we were making for the US. We were playing for the cultural change this could have on Chilean rugby.”
Doncaster Knights fans are preliminary to see some of what drives. Their new Chilean player in his early performances for the club. Sigren was first contacted by Doncaster last season. But their need for a flanker became more crucial at the start of this season.
“I got the call on a Sunday, I had a conference with Steve Boden (head coach) on the Monday, and they sent me a proposal I had to sign on Wednesday,” recalls Sigren, who will head to Bucharest with his countrymen in November for fall internationals against Romania and Tonga, but otherwise is Don caster’s player for the season.
“Then on Sunday, I became the message I was flying out here on Tuesday”.
“When I was searching with my go-between we were both looking for something that was a step forward in terms of the level I was playing at? So I’m here to play at a higher level, to keep on growing as a player but importantly keep on rising as a person”.
“I’m out of my comfort zone, living by me, a different culture, a different language, and a huge challenge for me.”
Given what awaits in a year’s time, Sigren would consume been forgiven for coming to England solely to get used to northern hemisphere rugby. For Sigren. His move to South Yorkshire is a significant step for not only for himself but rugby amalgamation in his country.
“He’s physical, he works hard, and he’s become a lot of energy. His game needs to improve but he’s got the right attitude that he’s going to work on it. And that’s what attracts us to players.”
“In England, I want to represent my republic in the best way possible,” he says.
“I feel a bit of responsibility since I’m the first Chilean to be playing in this league so I want to represent my fellow players well so that in the upcoming more Chilean players can come here.”
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