Uruguay Rugby appoints all-native coaching staff for Los Teros

The Unión de Rugby del Uruguay (URU) has implemented a complete structural reset for the national team, Los Teros, by appointing a 100% native coaching staff. This overhaul follows the termination of contracts for Argentine head coach Rodolfo Ambrosio and assistant Juan Figallo. The decision comes 14 months before the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

While Ambrosio and Figallo secured World Cup qualification by defeating Chile on aggregate, a recent home campaign in the World Rugby Nations Cup triggered a board review. This included a 42-40 defeat to Hong Kong China in Montevideo. The URU stated the change aims to create a strategic framework that connects the professional national program with local amateur clubs to expand the player base.

Guzmán Barreiro has been named the new Head Coach. Barreiro previously served as the High-Performance Director and led the Los Teritos U20 squad. He also worked as an assistant coach under Esteban Meneses during the period between 2016 and 2023. To ensure tactical continuity, Joaquín Pastore will continue his role as the lead backs coach.

The new technical staff features several former national team players. Recently retired captain Andrés Vilaseca, who earned 81 caps, joins the staff in a technical role. Alejandro Nieto and Diego Magno move from the URU Academy to the senior technical pool. Forwards coaches include Nicolás Grille, with 54 caps, and Federico Capó.

Other specialist roles are filled by former internationals. Nicolás Brignoni, who earned 47 caps, will serve as the game analyst. Agustín Ormaechea and Felipe Berchesi will manage players based in Europe. The backline staff includes Gastón Mieres, who earned 84 caps, and Alberto Román, who earned 40 caps. Both Mieres and Román are part of the Nuevo URU staff.