Chambéry Savoie Stadium To Host Two Rugby Test Matches In November
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Chambéry Savoie Stadium is set to host two test matches in November. On November 16, the venue will feature a double-header showcasing countries from the Americas. The scheduled matches are Uruguay against Japan and the USA against Tonga.
Japan and Uruguay will face each other for the sixth time, with Japan emerging victorious in four out of the six encounters. The stadium, situated an hour and a half drive East of Lyon, boasts a seating capacity of 5,285. Chambéry is the largest city in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.
Japan head coach Eddie Jones commented on the Uruguayan team. “Uruguay is a fast-developing rugby nation that plays a good style of game which is similar to Argentina. To experience playing against them in Europe will be great for the ongoing development of this young team,” said Jones.
Notably, Chambéry has never hosted a home test match for France, making the upcoming double-header a historic event. This occasion is particularly significant as it involves the Rugby World Cup 2019 and 2031 hosts.
Both Japan and the USA will compete in Chambéry against teams that secured victories at the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France. Uruguay defeated Namibia in Lyon, while Tonga emerged victorious against Romania in Lille.
According to reports from Dauphiné Libéré, Japanese Head Coach Eddie Jones played a pivotal role in securing the matches for Chambéry. Jones was impressed by the Nationale club's facilities and the venue's synthetic turf during his visit in June.
Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that Stade Olympique de Chambéry Rugby recently recruited Tongan scrum-half Sonatane Takulua, the most capped player of all time for Tonga with 57 caps. Additionally, Felipe Berchesi, who represented Uruguay at Rugby World Cups 2015, 2019, and 2023, played for Chambéry in 2014-2015 and has been capped 49 times by Los Teros.
