Esteban Meneses has stepped down from his role as Head Coach of Uruguay, ending a seven year run in charge of Los Teros. Meneses took Uruguay to new heights, after first taking over the reins in 2016, following a winless campaign at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Meneses took Uruguay to become the second best team in the Americas, and qualified behind Argentina for the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup. Meneses led Uruguay to secure their first Rugby World Cup win in Japan, as they stunned the world with a 30-27 win over Fiji. Los Teros followed this up with another World Cup win in 2023, with a 36-26 win over Namibia.
Meneses’ first match in charge of Uruguay was in the inaugural Rugby Americas Championship, which saw Canada record a 33-17 win. His first win followed the following week, in a 33-29 triumph over Brazil. Meneses took Uruguay to win the South American Rugby Championship in 2016 and 2017, and a trio of back-to-back World Rugby Rugby Nations Cups in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Within the past decade, Meneses took Uruguay to surpass the United States and Canada, in becoming the second best rugby nation from the Americas. Meneses took charge of Los Teros with the side ranked at 19th in the World Rugby rankings.
Throughout the next six years, the side has steadily improved and currently sits at 17th. This puts Los Teros one ahead of the United States, and six places above Canada. Rugby World Cup debutants Chile are the latest Americas side to rival Uruguay, with Los Condores currently ranked at 22nd.
Uruaguay captivated the rugby world with impressive performances against France and Italy at the latest Rugby World Cup. Meneses’ last match in charge of the South Americans saw his side suffer a heavy 73-0 defeat to eventual finalists New Zealand.