We’re proud to fly the flag for Chile! England’s next opponents have already won – by reaching their first Rugby World Cup and creating a legacy back home, says coach Pablo Lemoine

• Chile face England on Saturday following defeats by Japan and Samoa
• Chile head coach Pablo Lemoine just wants his players to show their best 
• Rugby World Cup 2023: Click here for Mail Sport’s latest coverage from France

Pablo Lemoine’s first World Cup encounter with England involved him scoring a try for Uruguay, as they were put to the sword by Sir Clive Woodward’s 2003 champions-in-waiting — who won 111-13 in Brisbane.

On Saturday in Lille, the former prop will expect a far more rewarding clash with the English, as head coach of Chile. The fact his band of brothers have reached France is a watershed triumph for a nation who have never been in such exalted company before. Despite losing 42-12 against Japan and 43-10 at the hands of Samoa, the Condors have created a lasting legacy.

Their remarkable qualification run propelled them into rugby folklore. Having beaten Canada en route to a home-and-away decider against the USA, they lost 22-21 in Santiago — amid a monsoon and a power cut — then trailed by 19 points in the Colorado return. Somehow, Chile fought back to win 31-29, to qualify by one point on aggregate.

So how did they manage it? By forging a spirit which their higher-ranked rivals could not match, through life-changing sacrifice in defiance of outside pressure to concentrate on alternative careers.

‘I knew the game would be like this,’ Lemoine tells Mail Sport. ‘I knew if we were close near the end, we would beat the USA. They were not strong like us, did not have a big purpose like us. Our boys had been together all year. We changed our lives for it. We were so strict. Boys changed jobs, university, girlfriends. In Chilean society, sport is not top. It starts with a job. Most of our guys come from a good level of society and they had to change their lives for this. The project we had meant they had a lot of disagreements with families, friends and clubs.

Chile head coach Pablo Lemoine just wants his players to show their best against England

Lemoine’s first World Cup encounter with England ended in a 111-13 hammering for Uruguay

‘So they needed mental toughness for that bigger fight. Their families were saying, ‘Don’t do that’.

‘They were leaving their parents, who had an expectation of what they should do, but the players would say, ‘No, I want to dedicate my life to this’.’

Lemoine created a high-performance plan and the players bought in to it. He told them it would be arduous to reach this World Cup, but they committed to the mission, initially without pay. They put everything else in their lives on hold.

‘These players are amazing,’ Lemoine adds. ‘They have not only built a professional career in rugby, they have built a spirit together. I told them about the condition they needed, but then they had to decide if they could do it together or not.’

The coach is a modest figure who shares all the credit, offering a glowing tribute to his captain, Martin Sigren. The flanker spent last season at Doncaster — as a Chilean trailblazer in English rugby — to step up preparation for France. He epitomised the sacrifice which Lemoine demanded from his squad.

‘Martin was amazing,’ he says. ‘He had a good lifestyle, with many temptations. He had everything; a house in the mountains, house on the beach, family trips around the world, a rich family… but you couldn’t meet a more humble guy.

‘He would say, ‘If you don’t have enough money to pay the salaries for everyone, pay the others’. That made a difference. That helped our spirit, so when we went into the last 20 minutes in that game against the US, I knew what was coming.’ Victory in Colorado meant so much for the man in charge and for the sport in Chile. It was a launch pad.

‘After that we came home and I was invited to meet the President and the Minister of Sport,’ says Lemoine. ‘They put money to improve facilities, our synthetic field. The money was created by that qualification. We gave a good message to the country that we can make big things with small resources.

‘It means you create something for all time. A legacy. I am happy for that. Sometimes they (politicians) just come to take a picture, but it wasn’t like that. It changed a lot. It was emotional because it was Chile’s first qualification. It will help to grow the sport.’

While some emerging rugby countries seek a breakthrough by recruiting overseas players, Chile have brought through their own talent, overseen by their Uruguayan coach.

‘All our players are born in Chile, grow in Chile, develop in Chile,’ says Lemoine. ‘They are passionate, brave. They are technical also, especially the backs. Playing Sevens has helped that.

‘There is rugby everywhere in Chile. It is a big country — a long country! They have rugby in many cities, lots of social rugby, in schools, universities and clubs. Maybe the World Cup will make even more rugby in Chile.’

What they also have is towering peaks, where the condors soar and the team who take their name prepared for this tournament at altitude. 

Chile fly-half Rodrigo Fernandez (left) celebrates scoring the first try against Japan

Chile captain Martin Sigren spent last season at Doncaster to step up preparation for France

‘We use our advantages,’ says Lemoine. ‘Our training camps are in the mountains; in the Andes near Santiago. People in Chile have a connection with the mountains. Like a mother who protects them. Each step through qualification they gave the name of a different Chilean mountain. Now we need to find a higher mountain!’

Twenty years ago, as a player, Lemoine was devastated by that three-figure hammering by England, in a fixture just five days after the shattered Uruguayans had beaten Georgia. He knew he and his team had not had a chance to show their best — and that is all he wants Chile to do on Saturday; despite the inevitability of defeat.

‘There will be more pressure for England than us,’ he says. ‘Just playing the game, we already win. It doesn’t matter if we lose or win, we just have to be part of the spectacle, not be the clown.

‘They are no clowns. They have done what no one from their country has ever done before and laid the foundations for the creation of a new rugby frontier. That is truly life-changing.’

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