Wolves poised for World Cup return
THERE is clearly something about the prospect of a ‘French’ World Cup that galvanises the rugby players of
Portugal.
Back in 2007 they made their only appearance in the World Cup Finals and now 14 years on they are mounting an unexpectedly strong challenge to earn a place at RWC2023. Whatever happens in the following 12 months they are unlikely to face quite the magical mystery tour that surrounded their qualification for RWC2007 when they roamed the globe like Vasco da Gama. More of which anon.
So far so good in their latest French odyssey. Back in the top flight of REC competition for the first time since 2016, the Portuguese have quickly made a splash, particularly with their enterprising back play featuring a crop of promising youngsters who are interesting a number of Top 14 clubs.
At the end of this badly disrupted season not all six nations have completed their five games in REC1 but unless Romania defeat the Netherlands in their final delayed game in November by 66 or more points – not totally impossible but unlikely – Os Lobos (the Wolves) will finish their return season in second place behind perennial champions Georgia.
That effectively represents only halfway because the World Cup qualifying process will see the 2021 and 2022 championships amalgamated into one joint super league which will ensure everybody gets to play each other home and way. It’s a promising start though.
Portugal’s high octane, fleet-footed back division has been letting rip with 25 tries in their five games, which is three more than champions Georgia. Their coach Partick Lagisquet, the Bayonne Express of old, is clearly getting his message through.
After narrow early defeats against Georgia and Romania
they stormed back with big wins over Spain, the Netherlands and then last week a 49-26 victory away to Russia, one of the high-water marks of Portuguese rugby. It’s difficult to recall them ever playing better.
On the right wing is the 20year-old and much sought after Raffael Storti – perhaps the pick of the crop and being heavily courted by a handful of big French clubs. Storti has scored seven tries, while on the left wing 21-year-old Rodrigo Marta has five and young fly-half Rodrigo Portela has helped himself to three and assisted in many others.
Storti has an Italian father but turned to rugby rather than football when Portela, a schoolboy friend since the age of ten, persuaded him to try his luck with the oval ball.
Up front Portugal’s outstanding forward has probably been Jose Madeira, an athletic 20-year-old who is highly rated by his French club Grenoble who were challenging for promotion from Pro D2 last season.
All of the young guns were members of Portugal’s exceptional
U20 side two years ago that produced some dazzling rugby at the World Rugby Trophy tournament in Brazil before losing 35-34 to Japan in the final. The Portuguese also reached the 2017 final when they also lost to Japan, 14-3. Two vintage crops together auger well if they can make the transformation into senior players.
There are some older heads around to lend a hand, not least Perpignan’s highly-rated hooker Mike Tadjer, Beziers prop Francisco Fernandez and another who plies his front row trade in France, Grenoble prop Antony Alves. Meanwhile, Tomas Appleton continues to captain the side from centre while Carcassonne centre Jose Lima is another with plenty of experience.
If they can finish in the first two – and realistically second behind Georgia is the best they can hope for – Portugal would move directly into Pool B in France alongside champions South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and whoever emerges from the Asia/Pacific play-off – Hong Kong or Tonga.
If Portugal finish third they would qualify directly for the final qualification tournament in November which has replaced the old, rather torturous, repechage process.
Portugal will give thanks for that. To reach France in 2007 they started by finishing third in the overall standings for the 2004-6 REC tournament which was held over two years, although in effect it only established the seedings for a further series of European qualifying rounds.
First came a three-sided tournament with Italy and Russia in which Portugal finished second by virtue of a 26-23 victory over the Russians, both sides losing heavily to Italy when they put out largely second XVs.
Then with Romania having qualified ahead of Georgia as Europe 2, Portugal had to stage a double header with Georgia to determine Europe 3. They actually did reasonably well with a 17-3 defeat in Tbilisi and 11-11 draw in Lisbon. The Lelos however qualified as Europe 3 and it was Portugal who were then thrown into the repechage
system. I hope you are keeping up; because I will be examining you on this later.
First came the tense double header against Morocco. The Portuguese squeezed an invaluable 10-5 win in Casablanca and then had to play it again in Lisbon when they held on 16-15 to progress to the final set of games to book their game in France.
It was to be Uruguay home and away, and a tenser encounter could scarcely be imagined, with Os Lobos winning the opener 12-5 in Lisbon and then losing the return game 18-12 in Montevideo. They were through by one point and rather overdid the celebrations that night, so much so that half the team were arrested although later released.
In France their successes were to be small but savoured. They prevented Italy getting a try bonus, scored a try against the All Blacks and lost only 14-10 to Romania. They did, however, absolutely slaughter the All Blacks in a challenge game of football suggested by the late Jerry Collins after their pool game in Lyon.