A sporadic qualifier for the World Cup, Uruguay played in their second tournament in a row in 2019

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Uruguay Rugby World Cup Fixtures, Squad, Group, Guide

Uruguay are a semi-regular participant in the Rugby World Cup and marked this year’s tournament with a famous win over Fiji – perhaps the greatest day in Uruguay rugby history.

How They Qualified

Ranked as the highest South American side excluding Argentina, Uruguay qualified for the 2019 tournament after beating Canada in a two-match play-off. The aggregate score was 70-60.

Key Players

Captain Juan Manuel Gaminara is all energy in a small frame and leads by example from the back row. Fellow forwards Alejandro Nieto and Diego Magno are experienced lieutenants, and keep an eye on exciting scrum-half Santiago Arata.

Two stars emerge as Flying Fijians run ten past Uruguay

Experience: Uruguay No 8 Alejandro Nieto

The Coach – Esteban Meneses

Argentine coach Esteban Meneses joined in 2016. Recommended by ex-Pumas coach Daniel Hourcade, he has coached some top clubs in Argentina.

Time to gel: Esteban Meneses was hired back in 2016 (Getty Images)

Major Work-ons

With a squad of largely home-based players, Uruguay can be overwhelmed as they have little experience of playing Tier One nations. But they showed their potential – and heart – in beating Fiji in their opening match as well as causing Australia and Wales problems for large periods.

Uruguay Rugby World Cup Warm-ups

  • Saturday 7 September: Uruguay 24-35 Argentina XV

Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Warm-ups

Uruguay Rugby World Cup Group

Uruguay are in Group D alongside Australia, Wales, Fiji and Georgia.

Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Groups

Uruguay Rugby World Cup Fixtures

 

Outclassed: Wales beat Uruguay 54-9 at the 2015 World Cup (Getty Images)

Uruguay Rugby World Cup Squad

Uruguay have named their Rugby World Cup squad below;

Forwards (18):
Facundo Gattas
Joaquín Jaunsolo
Mateo Sanguinetti
Germán Kessler
Guillermo Pujadas
Diego Arbelo
Juan Echeverría
Juan Pedro Rombys
Ignacio Dotti
Manuel Leindekar
Diego Magno
Franco Lamana
Manuel Ardao
Santiago Civetta
Manuel Diana
Juan Manuel Gaminara
Juan Diego Ormaechea
Alejandro Nieto

Backs (13):
Agustín Ormaechea
Santiago Arata
Felipe Berchesi
Felipe Etcheverry
Juan Manuel Cat
Santiago Vilaseca
Agustín Della Corte
Tomás Inciarte
Federico Favaro
Nicolás Freitas
Leandro Leivas
Gastón Mieres
Rodrigo Silva

Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Fixtures

Previous World Cup Results and Record

Uruguay’s Rugby World Cup Record: P15 W3 D0 L12

  • 1999 Pool stages
  • 2003 Pool stages
  • 2015 Pool stages
  • 2019 Pool stages

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