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The Uruguay National Rugby team will visit the Basque Country this August, for two weeks, to train for their participation in England’s World Cup.  They will take advantage of their stay to also play the Euskarians, a Basque team made up of members from Iparralde and Hegoalde.  The Basque Rugby Federation hopes to contact fans in the Basque Diaspora in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay….

Donostia-San Sebastian.   The National Uruguay team will play the Euskarians, a team made up of players from both Iparralde and Hegoalde, on September 6th at a Rugby Festival.  The venue is yet to be determined by the Basque Federation says that it will take place in Hegoalde.  The Euskarians team was founded in 1997 in hopes of promoting Basque rugby at the international level and to strengthen ties between players of different areas of the Basque Country.

The Uruguay team will arrive in the Basque Country on May 31 and will stay in Getxo where it will get ready to participate in the English World Cup that will take place September 18 through October 31.  The idea of the stay in the Basque Country came from the Basque Federation as part of the Basque Country, Rugby Country project.  As federation president, Iñaki Laskurain, explained to EuskalKultura.com, this project hopes to put Basque rugby on the map while connecting countries of the Basque Diaspora who have a passion for rugby.  That is why the national team from Argentina was also invited to participated but they unfortunately, never responded to the invitation.

“I remember when we played in Bahia Blanca in 1992, and that folks from the Basque clubs came to Cheer us on and took us to the club….The same happened in Resistencia, in Salta, in Buenos Aires….,” said Laskurain.  “It was really special because we got to know this Basque world that was so far from home, it was very exciting.”  Now, the Basque Federation is again hoping to strengthen ties among errugbilaris in the Diaspora, to work together on projects like Basque Country, Rugby Country and to promote the Basque Country through this sport.