Discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Díaz de Solís in 1516 and colonized nearly a century later, Uruguay is a country of plains and hills with a population of nearly 3.5 million people.
The Uruguay Rugby Union was formed in 1951, more than half a century after the sport had been introduced by English ex A burgeoning Rugby nationpats working in the capital Montevideo, with membership of the International Rugby Board coming in April 1989.
Uruguay may be a football-mad country, but the popularity and profile of rugby is increasing rapidly and was helped significantly by Los Teros reaching their first Rugby World Cup in 1999.
Uruguayan rugby also shot to the fore in 1972 when, tragically, a plane carrying members of the Old Christians Rugby Club to a match in Chile crashed in the Andes. 29 died, but famously 16 survivors were rescued 72 days later.
Uruguay has only 12 clubs – Carrasco Polo Club the home for many of the national side – with around 1,000 senior players, although the sport is growing more and more popular among the young. A strong showing at RWC 2003 will ensure this trend continues.