Chile national rugby league team

Chile

Team information
Nickname	Caciques Chilenos (English: Chilean Chiefs)
Governing body	-
Region	-
Head coach	Gabe Keegan
Captain	Jonathan Espinoza, Eduardo Wegener
Most caps	-
Top try-scorer	Daniel Godinez, Alvaro Alarcon (4)
Top point-scorer	Alvaro Alarcon (20)
IRL ranking	-th
Team results
First international
Malta 16 - 12 Chile (Sydney, Australia; 31 January 2015)
Biggest win
Uruguay 20 - 4 Chile (Sydney, Australia; 17 October 2015)
Biggest defeat
Cabramatta 28-12 Chile (Sydney, Australia; 31 January 2015)
World Cup
Appearances	0 (first time in -)
Best result	-

The Chile national rugby league team (Spanish: rugby league equipo nacional de Chile), nicknamed Caciques Chilenos (English: Chilean Chiefs), represents Chile in rugby league. They had their first international 9's tournament in 2015 in Australia along with El Salvador in Latin America at the Cabramatta International Nines.

History

IRL Men's World Rankings
Official rankings as of 30 June 2024
Rank	Change	Team	Pts %
1		Australia	100
2		New Zealand	82
3		England	80
4		Samoa	67
5		Tonga	49
6	1	Fiji	47
7	1	Papua New Guinea	49
8		France	28
9		Lebanon	22
10		Cook Islands	20
11		Serbia	19
12		Netherlands	17
13		Italy	15
14	1	Greece	15
15	1	Malta	14
16		Ireland	14
17		Wales	13
18		Jamaica	10
19		Scotland	9
20		Ukraine	7
21		Czech Republic	7
22		Germany	6
23	3	Chile	6
24		Poland	6
25	3	Norway	6
26	1	Kenya	5
27	4	Philippines	5
28	3	South Africa	4
29		Nigeria	4
30		Ghana	4
31	2	United States	4
32	4	Montenegro	4
33	2	Brazil	3
34	2	Turkey	3
35	7	North Macedonia	3
36	2	Bulgaria	3
37	2	Cameroon	2
38	1	Spain	2
39	1	Japan	1
40	1	Albania	1
41	5	Canada	1
42	2	Colombia	1
43	2	El Salvador	1
44	1	Morocco	1
45		Russia	0
46	2	Sweden	0
47	2	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0
48	2	Hungary	0
49	3	Argentina	0
50		Hong Kong	0
51	3	Solomon Islands	0
52	5	Niue	0
53	1	Latvia	0
54	1	Denmark	0
55	6	Belgium	0
56	1	Estonia	0
57	6	Vanuatu	0
Complete rankings at INTRL.SPORT

See also: History of rugby league

As of December 2015, Rugby League had yet to be played on Chilean soil. However, the efforts of Latin Heat Rugby League, and the newly established governing body Futbol A 13 Chile, have resulted in the introduction of a competitive local league. Chile's participation in the Rugby League Tri Series tournament hosted by the Confederacion Argentina de Rugby League in November 2016, will feature players from the local competitions, demonstrating the rapid development of the sport in Chile.

On October 17, 2015, The Chile National Rugby League entered in the first ever Latino Rugby League Sevens Tournament, winning the competition in a dramatic final against fellow rugby league newcomer, Peru. The tournament format changed into a 9s competition for the 2016 edition with Chile defending its title in a thrilling 20-14 win over Peru at Moorebank Sports Club.

On June 11, 2016, Chile made its full 13-a-side debut at Henson Park, home of the Newtown Jets Rugby League Club. Over 1,500 people in attendance witnessed the historic first International Test match for both Chile and El Salvador, with Los Caciques triumphant 58-20 over their Salvadorian counterparts.

Chile's recent success has resulted in their recognition in the Rugby League International Federation's world rankings. Chile is currently ranked the 34th best rugby league playing nation on the planet. El Salvador, Chile's opponent in their most recent International match also entered the ranking at number 39.

Chile will participate in the first Rugby League Tri Series against Argentina and Brazil in November 2016. Hosted by the Confederacion Argentina de Rugby League, the tournament is to be held in Miramar, Argentina and will feature representative teams from Brazil, Chile and hosts Argentina. The Tri Series will mark the first time a Rugby League International is played by two South American sides in the continent.

Current squad

The following is the teamed named for the 2015 Latino Sevens.

Esteban Bazaez

Giorgio Blanco

Alex Bluck

Mana Castillo (Mascot Jets, NSW)

Sebastian Delapaz (Mounties, NSW)

Jonathan Espinoza (Griffith University, QLD)

Dennis Ford (South Eastern Titans, VIC)

Liam Hernandez

Richard Hernandez (St Clair Comets, NSW)

James Horvat (Mounties, NSW)

Francisco Lagos

Jaden Laing (Blacktown Workers, NSW)

Brad Millar (Beenleigh Lions, QLD)

David Mora (South Eastern Titans, VIC)

Jonathan Munoz

Joshua Munoz

William Neculman

Israel Perez

Eduardo Wegener (West Belconnen Warriors, ACT)

Jayden Yasar

Record

Below is table of the representative rugby league matches played by Chile at test level up until 12 October 2015:

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
American Samoa	1	-	1	-	0%	4	46	-42
El Salvador	1	1	0	-	100%	34	20	14
Thailand	1	-	1	-	0%	10	20	-10
Niue	1	-	1	-	0%	10	24	-14
Uruguay	1	1	0	-	100%	20	4	16
Total	5	2	3	-	40%	78	114	-36

See also

Rugby league in the Americas