“They achieved the impossible”, “The Condors fly to Glory”, “The Condors are historic”… Like this the classification for a World Cup was dimensioned for the first timewhich will be played in France, between September 8 and October 28 of next year, from Chilean rugby team, which will be the rival of the Pumas in the great world event. It is that the cast directed by Pablo Lemoine celebrated their victory against the United States in a big way at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, even the videos in which the squad sang the anthem in one of the pools of the hotel they occupied in Denver, Colo.

Crying, hugs and many Chilean flags were seen in the stadium. “I don’t know if I’m dreaming or awake“, said Martin Sigren, the team captain on ESPN. “It really means a lot to us, the sacrifices this team has made. There were times when it seemed like it was going uphill. I want to thank all the family that came here. They were the ones that kept us pushing,” he added.

It was truly crazy what the Chilean players experienced after reversing a 19-0 loss and winning 31-29. When they left the stadium and went to the hotel where they were staying, they organized a party on the bus that took them there. Back at the hotel, the Condors celebrated in the pool. They sang, danced and hugged each other. They surprised everyone by singing the Chilean anthem. And in the middle of the pelita they showed the poster that made official their participation in the World Cup that will be played in September 2023.

Marcelo Torrealba, who scored the first Chilean try, very excited, spoke to various Chilean media and told them: “We have been working for three years. This group has suffered from injuries, we’ve had ups and downs, but everything to get to this moment. We are very happy, it is the best moment of this sport in our country”. And Santiago Videla expressed himself in the same sense, who was firm with the shots to the sticks and also scored with a key try: “A lot of emotions come together at this moment. We knew that we had to put all our feelings together so that, in these 80 minutes, we put all our hearts into it and show what Chileans are made of. I am in shock”.

And he added: “We have been cultivating this character for three years and we have shown what Chileans are made of. I just want to enjoy myself with my friends, my 30 brothers who came to the United States, the players who stayed in Santiago and those who were injured. What matters is that we are going to France, for the first time in history we are in the World Cup”, he indicated.

While the Chilean pillar Matías Dittus, player of Athlétique Périgueux, from France, shouted: “We worked for years for this, we got up early and trained like a monkey. It’s a sacrifice, we get rid of the dirt. This is an unforgettable day in my life”. And the head coach, Pablo Lemoine, also couldn’t hold back his tears and commented: “We did everything possible, it’s all about the boys. It is something magical, thank all the staff, who are first class and enjoy. We are going to France, the boys deserve it and nothing more to thank”.

The moment is wonderful for rugby in this part of the world: for the first time, there will be three teams from South America in a World Cup: the Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. Something else: Chile will be part of Group D, together with… Argentina. England, Japan and Samoa, the other rivals.