Diego Escobar gave Chile the decisive cut-through moment in Santiago as Los Condores opened their World Rugby Nations Cup campaign with a 48-31 win over Romania.
The home side had to absorb a serious Romanian forward challenge before pulling clear, with World Rugby’s round-one review crediting Chile’s clinical edge as the separator in a match that stayed live deep into the second half.
Escobar Finish Gives Chile Control
Romania struck through Adrian Mitu and Stefan Buruiana during a muscular first-half spell, but Chile kept finding sharper answers. Lucas Berti, Javier Carrasco and Raimundo Martinez gave Pablo Lemoine’s side the platform before the second-half exchanges became decisive.
Dylan Raymond Schwartz briefly dragged Romania back into range with an interception score, only for Martinez and Escobar to land back-to-back blows. Marius Simionescu’s fourth Romanian try kept pressure on the hosts, but Escobar’s late explosive finish killed the contest and gave Chile a statement home start.
The result matters beyond the scoreline. Chile are building toward Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia with a competitive Nations Cup block, and this was a win built on repeated response rather than scoreboard comfort. It also gave Lemoine a useful benchmark before tougher July fixtures sharpen the pool picture. For more international coverage, follow our Rugby Union international news.
Chile v Romania, World Rugby Nations Cup 2026.
