The preparation of Los Cóndores for the 2023 season is full of a lot of expectation for the first participation of a XV team in an adult World Cup. This will be carried out during September and the home tournament at the Pan American Games, in November.
Only 5 months until the national team, called Selknam, competes in France, little time that makes the team feel resentful. “Selknam is in a tough process that consists in leading two projects at the same time, something hard for the athletes. We know the Games and the World Cup are huge challenges, so we must train now because time passes fast,” said the national coach, Pablo Lemoine.
The Uruguayan, along with Sergio Vigil, who is the field hockey coach, were the protagonists of the conversation event organized by Santiago 2023 and the Andrés Bello University. In that context, both of them agreed that success is more than a positive result in an exact moment. “I’m interested in keeping growing, that there are more players and better teams, which will lead us to have more people interested and want to be part of the project,” he indicated.
Lemoine with Fiu, the Santiago 2023 official mascot. (Picture from: Santiago 2023).
THE NEW HOUSE BEFORE THE WORLD CUP
The technical director confirmed that Chile will play four friendly games before traveling, they’ll face: the world champion Uruguay in Montevideo, they’ll host XV Argentina and Namibia, and they'll finish again with the second trans-Andean team in August. It's expected to coincide with the inauguration of the renewed Centro de Alto Rendimiento del Rugby (CARR) at the Parque Mahuida.
“I do consider the field and the spotlights of the CARR will be ready before the World Cup, the idea is to play the final friendly game there. We’re excited because this is a key part of the Chilean rugby project,” he revealed. With those comments, he committed himself with the federation’s projection work, but without personalizing it in his figure.
“My work and commitment with this project is thinking about the future and visualizing long-term projects, then, if developing those projects is on me or not, that will be a decision the board needs to make. I have a contract until the World cup finishes and we haven’t talked about this yet, but when the moment comes we will and solve this for sure. I’m the type of coach that works for the season, so we will see how this advances,” he reflected.
'Los Cóndores' are working for a year full of challenges. (Picture from: Santiago 2023).
"WE’RE GOING FOR THE MEDAL AT SANTIAGO 2023”
Rugby seven was incorporated in the Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games program, and after three editions, the Chilean male team has never made it to the podium. This is the record they expect to achieve during Santiago 2023, according to Pablo Lemoine.
“In seven, we have the qualifiers to the World Circuit in April, then we have the qualifiers for the Olympic Games in June, and after that the local Games in November, in all those opportunities we’ll try to achieve the best position. We have in our planning seeking the medal during the Pan American Games, that’s the biggest challenge to achieve,” he considered.
For Pablo Lemoine, trained in the Montevideo Cricket Club and expert of the amateur and professional areas in sport, the Games are a great opportunity to go beyond the field. “The Games are amazing for the Chilean sport because of what they mean for the athletes, and the fact that it is played at home. This is a festival that happens once in a while and it will mark the national sport DNA and I hope it will serve to promote all sport programs at a national level,” he said.
Lemoine is worried about the present, mainly because of the relevant milestones to achieve this year, but his obsession is related to the next challenge. “This is a great moment for Chilean rugby, the Federation has future plans that show they are seeking for growth, so we must take advantage of this because the window is open,” he concluded.
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