World Rugby U20 Challenger: who are the star players of the Cóndores M20 going for the title in Santiago

The Cóndores M20 are preparing for their debut in the World Rugby U20 Challenger 2026. At the CARR in Parque Mahuida, Chile will make its debut this Friday at 7 PM against Hong Kong China, its first opponent in Group A, where it will also face Romania and Brazil. The tournament is the culminating part of the process for a generation aiming to join the senior national team over the coming years. Head coach Eduardo Etcheto tells El Deportivo that the work began two seasons ago, when several of the current squad members were 16 and 17 years old. "Two years ago, with part of the staff in charge of managing, organizing, and directing the development programs, we locked ourselves in a room and said: 'Let's build the team of players who will play the United States 2031 World Cup,'" he says. Among the players involved in that process are Max Schlesinger, Santiago Wood, José Tomás Bonilla, Max Abumohor, Rafael Silva, Claudio Roa, and captain Marco Alvano, along with others with international experience who now make up the group. Alvano, 19, is the captain of this generation and has already held that role in other youth tournaments. The Old Boys player asserts that the goal is to win the championship. "We have been training for 10 months. I think every day we come and work extremely hard for this tournament. So that is our goal: to reach that final, on October 17, and win the title," he says. More standout players Alvano and Max Schlesinger are part of the regular work of the senior national team. Both have participated in training sessions with the group led by Pablo Lemoine. They are joined by players who already know professional rugby with Selknam. Benjamín Díaz, Max Schlesinger, Cristóbal Soto, Marco Alvano, José Pablo Fernández, and Santiago Wood have all already debuted with the Chilean franchise in Super Rugby Americas. Díaz's path has a particular twist. The player lived in Miami and decided to return to Chile to join the youth national team process and compete in the M20. Another case is Tom Baguley. The player completed much of his schooling in South Africa and returned to Chile in 2025 to join Selknam. That same year he suffered an injury that kept him off the field. This season he returned to play and is now part of the Cóndores M20 squad. The only player in the group currently developing his career outside Chile is Ignacio Valdés. The lock belongs to Aviron Bayonnais, a French club where he continues his development. Warm-up matches The M20 national team's preparation included, in May, a series of matches against teams that also regularly compete in the main international youth tournaments. Chile lost to South Africa 97-0, to Georgia 59-26, and to Fiji 47-31. The World Rugby U20 Challenger will now be a new stage of the process. After the debut against Hong Kong China, Chile will face Romania and Brazil in Group A. The tournament final is scheduled for October 17. For this generation, the tournament also represents one of the last steps before the definitive leap. "This is our last year as juniors. I think that if we keep training this way, we will surely be able to represent Chile in a future World Cup," says Alvano. NEWSLETTER El Deportivo Monday, 8:45 AM A special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the Sports team of La Tercera. By subscribing you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of La Tercera.