Can a Condor be a banana skin? Fans of mixed metaphors might think the answer is yes.

The Chilean national team, the Condors, have suffered somewhat at the hands of the USA of late, losing in all three years of the Americas Rugby Championship by an average score of 56-7. But in 2002 (OK, that was more than 16 years ago, but still) Chile beat the USA in Santiago, and it's an unwise coach who dismisses that fact.

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USA general manager Dave Hodges captained that team that lost to the Condors, and if you look at the USA lineup from that game, you're left shaking your head as to how it all happened.  So everyone on the Eagles will have to be on the same page.

And they will have to be on the same page despite not having their regular captain, Blaine Scully, or the usual backup captain, Nate Augspurger, or even the other guy who has been the captain, Tony Lamborn. 

Injuries 

Injuries are to be expected, but when they hit late, or when a player's comeback is ongoing, it can make for selection headaches. At flyhalf, Will Hooley is just coming back from an injury, and AJ MacGinty is still out (although should be back soon). 

Ben Landry picked up an injury over the weekend (he was taken out of his Ealing Trailfinders game for a head injury assessment and is day-to-day). Peter Macolm, Mike Te'o and Ryan Matyas are all in the almost-ready boat.

Complacency

There's complacency that leads to laziness, which the USA team won't suffer from, and there's the complacency of assuming your opposition is weak. It's that second mindset the Eagles cannot afford to entertain. Chile may have been blown out before, but this is now, and the Condors want very much to make amends.

¡Comenzaron con todo! Los Cóndores iniciaron la semana de trabajos, de cara al encuentro ante Estados Unidos este sábado, a las 7 de la mañana ¡#VamosCóndores! ??? pic.twitter.com/AuabylwELO

— Chile Rugby (@chilerugby1) January 28, 2019

Combinations

With Hooley and MacGinty out, Will Magie almost certainly will be the starting flyhalf against Chile. He should combine with Shaun Davies, and that's a combination that works well together. But what about the overall defensive work with new defense coach Jaque Fourie? 

What about set-piece cohesion?

Chile will likely test whoever is at fullback, and finally—finally—we might be able to see how Luke Hume handles that role, and how he works with his wings.