Lyon, France ¨C Uruguay made sure to savor its victory over Namibia on Wednesday, as it was well aware the opportunity to add another Rugby World Cup success might not come any time soon.
The South Americans made the most of Namibia¡¯s poor discipline to stage a second-half comeback and prevail 36-26 to avoid finishing last in Pool A.
With New Zealand and France also in the group, Uruguay was aiming to beat Italy and Namibia, and although it lost 38-17 to the Azzurri, it was mission accomplished against the African side, which leaves the World Cup without a victory.
¡°We are going to celebrate this victory,¡± captain Andres Vilaseca said at a news conference. ¡°Uruguay has only had three wins in the World Cup, the fourth win was really important. Namibia was our last objective.
¡°Now we are going to enjoy the week and then play the best team in the world (New Zealand on Oct. 5). We don¡¯t know if we will have a chance to play in the World Cup again.¡±
Uruguay trailed 20-12 at the break, but Namibia was heavily penalized in the second half, picking up a yellow and red card and running out of steam as it suffered its 26th World Cup defeat going back to its debut in 1999.
¡°We managed to keep our tempers,¡± Vilaseca added.
¡°A few years ago, I think it would have been more difficult for us. We were hungry for a win and were are delighted that we have been successful.¡±
Uruguay coach Esteban Meneses said his team had prepared to make history.
¡°We were unsuccessful against Italy but this team never lost hope,¡± he added.
¡°We knew it would be difficult, we knew they would give everything but we managed to make the difference.¡±
Vilaseca believes his team¡¯s success is also due to its participation in the Super Rugby Americas, a professional club competition won by Uruguay¡¯s Penarol in 2022 and 2023.
¡°The Super Rugby competition helped a lot,¡± he said. ¡°Rugby in South America changed a lot from 2020.¡±
¡°We now have a lot of professional players, we have a first-class stadium. It certainly helped us to play here at the level we have. There¡¯s no doubt about it, that is the solution to closing the gap for the tier two nations.¡±
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