In the first of our new regular features on the world of rugby we travel – well, in a virtual sense anyhow – to every oval-ball loving nation.
No.1 Peru (aka los Tumis)
Colours: White and red
Location: South America, bordering no fewer than five countries – Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile.
Five things you may not know about Peru:
1. The Inca empire was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America – the Inca Empire came to an end when it was defeated by the Spanish in 1533.
2. There is a brass statue of Winnie the Pooh in downtown Lima.
3. In ancient Peru when a woman found an ‘ugly’ potato it was custom for her to push it in the face of the nearest man.
4. Peru were the first people to domesticate llamas as pack animals 4,000 to 5,000 years ago. Apparently, their, ahem, ‘pellets’ were once used as offerings to the gods.
5. The famous ‘lost city’ of Machu Picchu was so called because it was completely overgrown when Hiram Bingham III rediscovered it in 1911, it’s thought to have been built around 1450 and abandoned 100 years later.
Current world ranking: 60th – they’re one of the two biggest recent climbers in the IRB rankings, jumping seven places thanks to their runners-up spot in the South American B Championship.
Last three results: Peru 15 Brazil 24; Peru 13 Colombia 9; Peru 26 Venezuela 13 – all in the South American B Championship, which they hosted.
Best result: Peru 28 Colombia 0 (2002)
Worst defeat: Paraguay 74 Peru 0 (2004)
Number of players: 500
Number of teams: 14 men’s team, three female sides. In the capital Lima, there are six rugby clubs in the first division, five in the second division (second XVs, often play 10 or 13-a-side rugby) and three women’s side. Even in the jungle region of Peru, there are three sides who play sevens’ rugby. Although not formed in any official capacity, other regions of Peru (Huaraz and Trujillo) are starting to play the game too.
When began in Peru: They participated in the first ever South American tournament with Argentina, Uruguay and Chie in 1958, they played their first official international competition over 40 years later (in 1999 at the U21 championships in Paraguay) and a year took part in the inaugural South American B Championships. The became affiliated to the IRB in 2000.
Players who are a bit special: Several players in the national side have left the region to play a higher standard of college rugby – these include the likes of Eric Marcelo, Maser Madueño, Pablo Carrera, Me, Gustavo Alarco and Daniel Cino.
What the future has in store: The general aim is to compete and beat rivals Brazil, Colombia and Brazil, who form their World Cup qualifying group. Although the next tournament is the Punta del Este sevens in Uruguay during the summer – at last year’s event, Peru beat Paraguay which was a major stepping stone for the nation. While Argentina, Uruguay and Chile are too strong for Peru, against the other nations los Tumis fancy their chances. Ultimately, the union hopes that, with a lot of ‘effort and dedication’ professional rugby can be brought to Peru.
World Cup winners by: They’ve never ever been to a World Cup (or got close), but the union’s big dream is to see ‘Peru on tv in a World Cup’. Peru’s only chance of qualifying comes from beating the teams in South America’s top qualifying group which contains Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. Before that happens though, they must get past Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia.
For more information: Visit www.rugbyperu.org
