A sporadic qualifier for the World Cup, Uruguay played in their second tournament in a row in 2019
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.
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
- Wed 25 Sep Fiji 27-30 Uruguay (Kamaishi) Match report
- Sun 29 Sep Georgia 33-7 Uruguay (Kumagaya) Match Report
- Sat 5 Oct Australia 45-10 Uruguay (Oita) Match report
- Sun 13 Oct Wales 35-13 Uruguay (Kumamoto) Match Report
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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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