Chile Drawn with Australia and New Zealand for 2027 Rugby World Cup Amid Calls for Greater Support
Chile has been drawn in a challenging pool with Australia and New Zealand for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which will feature expanded four-team pools including debutants Hong Kong. The tournament format will allow four third-placed teams to qualify for the knockout stage. Chile secured their spot by beating Samoa in a playoff to qualify for Australia 2027. Head coach Pablo Lemoine is cautiously optimistic, stating that Chile has a chance to win their first World Cup game, likely targeting Hong Kong for progression, while acknowledging that earning bonus points against top teams like Australia and New Zealand will be difficult.
Lemoine emphasized the need for a comprehensive vision for Chilean rugby that extends beyond sports to ensure development as well as social and political impact. He criticized the current high-performance funding from World Rugby, noting that Chile has received the same support for three years despite increasing demands, which is insufficient to sustain growth. He also highlighted that rugby faces challenges even in traditional strongholds such as Wales but pointed to potential fan bases in emerging markets including China, India, and Pakistan. Lemoine supports World Rugby vice-chair Agustín Pichot's vision for expanding the game globally.
A former Uruguay prop and the first Uruguayan to play professional rugby in Europe—joining Bristol in 1998 under coach Bob Dwyer—Lemoine values honesty, humility, respect, and ambition. On competing with rugby powerhouses, he does not aim to beat the All Blacks but maintains a realistic and high-performance approach to help Chile progress on the world stage.
