We continue our build up to the inaugural IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Chile by turning our focus to Uruguay and the thoughts of their Under 20 head coach Bruno Grunwaldt.

Bruno Grunwaldt is no different from the other Under 20 coaches preparing for the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Chile next month in that he would love to see his squad crowned champions come the final whistle in Santiago on 27 April.

However he refuses to cite the title as Uruguay’s target for the inaugural tournament, preferring to deflect the weight of expectation away from the shoulders of his squad and look more at the wider picture to draw positives from whatever the outcome turns out to be.

“It would be nice to be in the final and it would be nice to play Chile as a fellow South American side because when you play each other many times you get to know their coaches and players. They are good guys, it’s like playing friends, but if they are in front of us, they won’t be friends!” Grunwaldt told irb.com.

“I wouldn’t say we can win, that should be a consequence that comes from hard work. A goal for us is to go into each match and try to win. If we are going to do it then we have four matches to win, but we don’t want to put too much pressure on the players that we have to win the title.

“If they don’t win the title it is still very good progress because they have been working hard since the middle of November until now and they have become better players. They have grown a lot with us and the boys are much better players than they were five or six months ago.

No quick fix to a brighter future

“We have worked very hard on the technical things and not so much on tactical, which is what you do mainly when you work with older players. Our aim is not only to do a good job during the World Trophy, but also preparing the young players for the future.

“Half of our players were born in 1989 so they will have another year at this level, it was the same last year [at the IRB Under 19 World Championship in Belfast]. It is a handicap, but they were better than players who turn 20 this year. 

“Even when they play against older players they did well, so they are prepared now after this process to play in the first division. I think the future is bright, but you don’t do it with only one generation, you need to work at it every year and do this kind of process.”

One concern that Grunwaldt, who has also previously worked with Uruguay’s Under 21, Sevens and senior national teams, does have ahead of the tournament is the size of his players, given they will face a traditionally powerful side Georgia in Pool B along with Jamaica and Korea.

“We don’t know anything about Korea, but we have seen Georgia play and by the time we play against them we will have had two matches to analyse them. It will be our third match, but also for them and they will have the same matches to watch our side in,” admitted the 47-year-old.

“The main thing when you play against Georgia is the different sizes. Our players are not very big and Georgian players are really very big, but I think our players are very keen, they are quick and an important factor is that they play with their heart and not just with their head.”

Reaping the benefits of experience

The Uruguayan players will also be able to draw on their experiences of finishing sixth in Division B at the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007, given that 20 members of that squad have been selected by Grunwaldt for the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy.

This figure – which includes captain Matias Fonseca and Germán Albanell, who was the leading point scorer in Division B with 56 in 2007 – is the highest of the five countries who participated in Belfast, albeit only couple more than host nation Chile and Georgia have named in their squads.

“We have retained 20 players from the last tournament and we have six new players so I think we have a good experienced side, but it’s the same for the other teams, Georgia will have many players from last year, so will Romania and Chile.

“I think we are a better side than last year though and we should do better.

“It is a good thing to have the same players because we know everybody and they know me and they know the sessions and everything. They understand my ideas totally and also those from the other coach Martin Mendaro.”

Next week we turn our focus to the Cook Islands, the final qualifier for the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy who will face Chile, Romania and Namibia in Pool  A.