RWC 2027 qualifier: Card crazy game ends in Chile win

Chile have secured home advantage in the semi-finals of Sudamerica 2025 following a 36-10 win over Brazil in Estadio Municipal de La Pintana on Sunday.

The teams will meet again in the semi-finals of Sudamerica 2025, with Los Cóndores once again having the benefit of playing in front of their own supporters.

Sudamerica 2025 serves as the region's final qualification phase for Rugby World Cup 2027, and Chile and Brazil will take their place in the line-up along with Uruguay and the winner of this weekend's play-off between Paraguay and Colombia.

The winner of Sudamerica 2025 will get an automatic ticket to the showpiece event in Australia, with the runner-up and third-placed team having further opportunities to get there, too.

For Sunday's game, Chile had to make do without Rodrigo Fernández, Iñaki Ayarza and Diego Escobar, while Carlos Mignot, the Tupis' new rising star, was required to play for his club, Biarritz.

It took Chile 14 minutes to score their first try of the game, with wing Nicolas Garafulic squeezing past the Brazilian defence to dot down the ball in the corner.

After 20 minutes, Brazil forced another penalty out of Chile and scored their first points of the game, thanks to the boot of Lucas Tranquez.

With a few seconds to go to half-time, Chile turned up the pressure and boxed the Brazilians inside their 22. It ended up being a successful strategy as captain Martín Sigren crashed in for the second try of the game. Santiago Videla added the extras to give a nine-point lead to Chile.

Shortly after the break, the Cóndores immediately went searching for a third try, making the best out of their set-piece. From a five-metre scrum, number eight Alfonso Escobar picked up the ball and offloaded it to Garafulic, with the wing diving in for a brace.

In a 19-minute period of madness, there was a flurry of cards – Brazil received two yellows and a red, having already had one player sin-binned on the stroke of half-time. And briefly, it was 12 vs 14 as Chile also had a player yellow-carded, on 52 minutes.

Chile made their numerical supremacy count in the last 10 minutes, expanding their lead with two more converted tries, scored by prop Matías Duttis and substitute scrum-half Ernesto Tchimino. Brazil bagged a consolation try, thanks to an unstoppable carry from lock Gabriel Paganini.