Los Teros' return to Montevideo was full of joy but captain Juan Manuel Gaminara was quick to point out his side have “only won the first half” and it will all be for nothing if they don't follow through and secure their place at Rugby World Cup 2019 this weekend.

With the Americas 2 slot in Pool D at stake and dates with Australia, Wales, Georgia and Fiji awaiting the winner of the series against Canada, Uruguay are nine points to the good after their 38-29 win at BC Place last Saturday.

Los Teros have never been in such a position in a game that could confirm their place at a fourth Rugby World Cup. Yet, they know that the Canadians will throw everything at them at the Estadio Charrúa as they attempt to overhaul that deficit.

“The goal for the week is not to think about the points difference. We must continue to trust the work done but respect Canada. When they played they were very hard and in a 10-minute period they scored 14 points,” said Gaminara.

Gaminara, nicknamed Garrafa (gas tank), first played for Uruguay in the RWC 2011 repechage, a failed series against Romania.

“Romania was very tough and our preparation was nothing like what it is now in terms of structure and what players have. When we qualified against Russia for England 2015, the Charrúa High Performance centre was in its infancy. Things are so different now. We have 12 players that were in the process leading to RWC 2015.”

A bit of history

For their first trip to a Rugby World Cup in 1999, Uruguay had to beat Portugal home and away and then play in the final repechage series against Morocco, first in Montevideo and then in Casablanca. The 18-3 win at home gave them a comfortable cushion for the return game, which despite the 21-18 loss meant Los Teros qualified. 

By 2002, the format changed for the Americas and two nations were to qualify from a four-team round robin, home-and-away series. Uruguay lost the three games on the road but finished at home with three consecutive victories, narrow wins over Canada and USA were followed by a huge win against Chile that gave them, and Canada, the tickets to Australia in 2003.

Missing out at the final repechage hurdle for the 2007 and 2011 tournaments, against Portugal and Romania respectively, made qualification for England 2015 even sweeter.

The first leg against Russia was played in Krasnoyarsk and Los Teros celebrated the narrow 22-21 loss as it meant the return home basically required a win. The final score of 36-27 ensured a huge sigh of relief and happiness for the near 14,000 spectators that filled the Estadio Charrúa in November 2014.

Full stadium

This time, Gaminara is hoping for an even bigger crowd, despite the match falling in the middle of the Uruguayan summer.

“Hopefully we will have a full stadium as the home support is very important,” admitted the accountant, who works in private banking. “Fortunately, my bosses love rugby and that I am representing the country.”

Professional rugby is the utopia for Uruguayan rugby. “We have been focusing on this for the past three years and since we beat Chile, we narrowed that to the series with Canada.”

The reasons for the win in Vancouver are, in the eyes of the flanker, execution.

“We were lethal in our attacking system every time we had an opportunity. In a game the opening 20 minutes are crucial and to start 7-0 up is always very good. They came back and I think it was a very enjoyable game of rugby. In the end, the team that took their chances better won.”

From the cold of Vancouver to temperatures close to 30 degrees, there are huge challenges for both teams. It is winner takes all and the prize well worth it.

The Americas Rugby Championship 2018 will be streamed LIVE on the World Rugby website at www.worldrugby.org/arc2018. Some geo-blocking restrictions may apply, click here for more details.