Historic result in South America as Chile complete stunning comeback

The 2026 Americas Rugby Championship concluded at the weekend, and Chile XV took the title home after successfully defeating Uruguay XV, Paraguay and Argentina XV.

This year marked the return of the tournament, which had been forced into a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Argentina XV won the last edition held in 2019.

While Chile, Uruguay and Argentina competed with their secondary sides, the Cóndores and Los Teros still fielded several of their main players, including Chilean siblings Santiago and Benjamín Videla and Uruguayan back-rower Manuel Diana.

Argentina XV and Paraguay were first to take the field, with the Albiceleste side securing a convincing 58-11 victory behind standout performances from hooker Martín Vaca and Franco Rossetto.

Chile and Uruguay would go on next, with the Cóndores XV winning 33-12, in a match where one yellow and three red cards were handed out.

Joaquín Myszka was the first player sent off in the match following a no-arms tackle that resulted in a severe injury to Chilean prop Emilio Shea, with the Uruguayan hooker subsequently suspended for 13 matches.

In the second round, Argentina easily defeated Uruguay, handing them a resounding 64-10 loss, with Luciano Avaca, one of the nation’s standout talents, producing a hat-trick in a commanding performance.

Chile had little trouble overcoming Paraguay, with Pablo Lemoine’s squad recording a 54-26 victory in which Joaquín Milesi and Marco Alvano each scored two tries. However, despite the staunch win, Carlos Saavedra was sent off, missing his side’s final game of the tournament.

In the final round, Uruguay struggled to overcome Paraguay, trailing 12-10 at half-time. However, the team – now led by Guzmán Barreiro – managed a comeback and concluded the Americas Rugby Championship with a 41-12 win.

In the title decider, Argentina XV, who had previously won the competition twice under their current name and five more times as the Jaguares, were stunned by Chile, with Los Cóndores snatching a dramatic 28-27 victory in the final minute.

Argentina held the lead for most of the match, even going into half-time with a 15-7 advantage, only to see their Chilean rivals mount a sensational comeback in the final 15 minutes, turning a 27-14 deficit into a 28-27 victory.

With Domingo Saavedra scoring Chile’s third try, following the opening scores from the Videla brothers, it was Ernesto Tchimino who crossed the line to bring Los Cóndores within a single point of the lead with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Kicking from the sideline, Matías Garafulic converted with great class, delivering a remarkable result for the proud South American nation.

Although the tournament does not award official Test caps to three of the participating national teams, Chile’s triumph remains a historic achievement, marking the first continental title in the country’s history.

It represents a highly encouraging milestone for one of world rugby’s most promising emerging nations and, with two wins and just one defeat from the opening three rounds of the Nations Cup, the team appears to be carrying considerable momentum into November.