Uruguay held out Fiji to win 30-27 at Kamaishi in Japan in 2019 in an early pool game for a first-ever victory over a team ranked in World Rugby’s top 10, sparking scenes of jubilation and offering a rare upset in the early stages.
Uruguay had won two World Cup games previously – against Spain on their debut in 1999 in Wales and Georgia in Sydney four years later.
Now they are aiming for more fairytale results in Pool A – not against hosts France or the All Blacks but by beating Italy in Nice on September 20th and Namibia in Lyon a week later to finish third and qualify automatically for the next World Cup in 2027.
“There are higher expectations, with a much more mature and deeper squad in quantity and quality of players,” says their Argentine-born coach Esteban Meneses (51).
He has had the job for eight years and seen the game in the country evolve from amateur to a situation where all Uruguay squad members are professionals, with seven at clubs in France.
“That has allowed us to approach our preparations differently, not working first on the physical aspect and then the rugby part but being able to mix it all together and at a higher level.”
Meneses is looking for his scrum to dominate in the key games and the backline to work the ball quickly, not dissimilar to the style of neighbours Argentina.
Seven of the 33-man squad will compete at a third World Cup and 12 were in Japan four years ago but it will be the first time they have included front rower Matias Benitez (35).
Their most capped international Diego Magno (34) was a shock omission, with sevens specialist Ignacio Facciolo a surprise inclusion on the wing having recently won his first cap.
Andres Vilaseca (32) captains the side who had an impressive series of results in their July and August warm-up internationals against Chile, Namibia and an Argentine XV.