With a full turnout at the Rugby Stadium, Peru, Brazil and Argentina qualified to the semifinals of the Women's South American Rugby Championship,qualifier tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, that will also give the last place for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
Three hundred spectators filled the stands of the Rugby Stadium to watch - and in some cases to discover - high-level game, a prelude to what they will see in just 55 days in the Games.
Peru achieved three consecutive wins in three games and is still alive on the road to the Olympic Games. They began the day beating Paraguay 19-5 and continued at unabated pace, beating Venezuela 32-5 and Guatemala 22-0. In this last match, Rosemery Quesada, Michelle Flores, Paula Pacheco and Allison Pereyra scored the 'tries'.
"It's been an incredible day with full grandstand and the Peruvian music playing on the loudspeakers," said Paula Pacheco. "We've come to this tournament to give our best and that's what we’re doing," said Rosemery Quesada, 'Tumis' captain.
UNDEFEATED BRAZIL
Brazil, the other team of Group A, also had a triumphal day. They beat Venezuela 55-0, repeated the same score against Guatemala and defeated Paraguay 50-5.
Tomorrow, Peruvians and Brazilians will battle at 10:00 to define the first place in the group. The winner will face the second place of Group B, led by Argentina, after they beat Costa Rica 40-0, Uruguay 50-0 and tied 24-24 against Colombia in the most even and dramatic match of the day, thanks to a 'try' (5 points) in the last play of the match.
As players passed through the mixed zone of the stadium, they all agreed on the top level field and facilities of the Villa María del Triunfo Sports Center, built by Lima 2019 for the Pan American and Parapan American Games. Hockey, softball, baseball, Basque pelota, fronton, water polo, archery, and rugby will be held at this venue.
During the Parapan American Games it will host football 5-a-side and football 7-a-side competitions.
THE RESULTS
The South American Rugby Championship, Pre-Olympic for Tokyo 2020, had the following results:
DAY 1
Peru 19-5 Paraguay
Brazil 55-0 Venezuela
Uruguay 5-12 Chile
Argentina 40-0 Costa Rica
DAY 2
Brazil 55-0 Guatemala
Peru 32-5 Venezuela
Argentina 24-24 Colombia
Chile 26-0 Costa Rica
DAY 3
Brazil 50-5 Paraguay
Brazil 22-0 Guatemala
Argentina 55-0 Uruguay
Chile 7-19 Colombia
The event will continue tomorrow at 09:50 in the morning. The last match for the championship title will be played at 16:30.