“Today is 25th September, and this is the day’s news: Los Teros have made history once again, as they defeated Fiji in their first game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. There were glorious scenes in Kamaishi as our boys beat the ninth-most powerful nation in the sport!”
This is an imagined opening of a radio station in Uruguay when Los Teros produced one of the most impressive shocks in World Cup history. Led by Juan Gaminara, Manuel Diana, Andrés Vilaseca and Gastón Mieres, Uruguay wrote a hermosa pagina, a beautiful page in their country’s rugby history.
Mieres, the 35-year-old back-three man, brought down the curtain on a remarkable international career last month, a voyage spanning 14 years, 85 caps, three World Cups and national sevens honours. The memories of Kamaishi, where the Teros flyer was a stand-out, still burn brightly.
Gaston Mieres was at the forefront as Uruguay stunned Fiji at Rugby World Cup 2019 (Photo by Warren Little – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
“That game, that insane game against Fiji,” he says. “It is a moment that transcended everything. We made the impossible and improbable real. It shook our world, and it shook the Uruguayan rugby world.
“We wanted it more. I remember getting so many messages and calls in the days after the game. Everyone in Uruguay was talking about it. Los Teros were everywhere in the media. It was a game that helped to change Uruguay’s destiny in the sport. Our training conditions got better, people started to think and talk about us more.”
Mieres was born and raised in Punta del Este, an hour and a half east of Montevideo along the Uruguayan coastline. Since following in his elder brother’s footsteps to the local rugby club, he longed to represent his country.
We were fanatics in the sense of giving our all to our country. We sacrificed a lot and took our passion for Uruguay and Los Teros to an extra level.
“I always wanted to be an international rugby player. After getting my first caps, I wanted to play professionally even more. It is important to remember I am from an era of transition in Uruguayan rugby. We were amateurs in the early 2000s and started to try to make the transition to semi-pro or even pro in the 2010s. We were fanatics in the sense of giving our all to our country. We sacrificed a lot and took our passion for Uruguay and Los Teros to an extra level.”
But before developing into one of Uruguay’s stars, Mieres first had to climb the age-grade ranks. And he nearly missed his first selection for the national Under-20s squad.
“You know, when I was first called for the junior Teros I wasn’t in Uruguay. I was travelling through Europe, learning about new cultures and experiences, and then suddenly an email dropped into my inbox. I opened it, and it was the staff calling me for a training camp. I immediately called my family, bought a ticket home and went sprinting to the camp.”
In 2010, Gonzalo Camardón, Uruguay’s then-head coach, pitched Mieres into the Test arena.
By last year’s World Cup in France, Mieres, whose picture is on the right, became a cult hero among Los Teros supporters (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“My debut was against Brazil and the game was for the Sudamericano, the continental competition between South American nations. It was a so-so game. We won but we could’ve played better. Still, I got to score my first try, so I can’t be too negative about it. Let me just say that the South American rivalries were always something else, especially our games against Chile.”
After helping Uruguay reach a first World Cup in 12 years, Mieres signed his first professional contract with Italian club Valpolicella, located in the luscious green heaven of Verona. He had an injury-curtailed stint in the English Championship with Coventry and four seasons representing Toronto Arrows in the MLR.
“While we were getting ready for the 2019 World Cup, there was an opportunity for me and some of the other Uruguayan internationals to play MLR. It was perfectly timed, as we needed game time before the World Cup. Canada and Toronto turned out to be the best overseas experience of my career, and I am very thankful for what they did for me.
“I think it greatly helps to get out of your comfort zone. In my case, it helped me to grow up, mature, experience being alone and to depend only on me. Don’t be afraid, just go. You will get to know more people, cultures and different realities. That’s my advice for the young players who are thinking about trying an abroad adventure.”
Perhaps it was the try I enjoyed the most. It will be impossible to ever forget it.
There were moments, over the years, when Mieres questioned his ambition. When circumstances and hardship forced him to waver.
“There were times I thought about taking a step back or giving up. It isn’t easy. Arriving home late at night, with school the next day, was also a mental and physical obstacle that sometimes made me reflect on how far I was willing to sacrifice myself for the dream. I had to take the bus to Montevideo, and then come back in it again… 150km back and forth each new day.
“Would I do it all again? 100%. I have no regrets. Rugby has given me everything. It gave me the chance to play abroad, wear the Teros shirt and go beyond what I thought were my limits. I bet people hear this all the time, but the sacrifice and the hours spent working to get better were worth it. I have made so many friends who will stay with me until the last day of my life. Rugby is a big part of who I am. It was, at times, an addiction, a good one. I enjoyed every moment of my career.”
In over a decade representing his country, Mieres waged many battles with some of rugby’s top teams (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
The final hurrah came in November. Fittingly, Mieres scored a try to help Uruguay conquer Romania’s Arcul de Triumf.
“Perhaps it was the try I enjoyed the most. It will be impossible to ever forget it, as it contained a whole universe of emotions. Euphoria, happiness, joy.. it had it all, and the best part was that I had the chance to enjoy it with a group of great guys.”
When Hamish Smales signalled for the end of the match, the Mieres era was over.
“It isn’t easy to say goodbye. It was such a big part of my life. I lived so many great stories and experiences with my national team. I am happy I had the chance to enjoy them, but at the same time, there’s always that bittersweet taste… Well, on to the next chapter. In the hope that one day, maybe, I will be involved with the Teros again in some way.”
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