Today’s match against Wales (4.45pm, RTP2) marks the Wolves’ return to the world stage. And 16 years after its debut, Portugal is still the only team with amateur athletes under 20 in attendance. Among the 33 players coached by Patrice Lagisquet at the World Cup – which started in France on October 8 and runs until October 28 – there are 17 professional players and 16 who are still combining their studies or professional lives with playing rugby.
Nothing that takes away the ambition of the team led by Tomás Appleton, a selection of emerging values, the result of the generation after 2007 and the children of the Portuguese emigration to France. “This team is very different, with many professionals, who already play at a much higher level than us. Of the usual starting XI, about ten play in the French league – the second most important in the world, after the British. They are better prepared than us , both by the type of play and in many positions. If we look player by player, they are better than us on a technical level, but it is always difficult to make a comparison about such a match. Long time gap. There are 16 years between one World Cup and the next,” Rui Cordeiro told DN.
But for the hero of the All Blacks tryout at the 2007 World Cup, who will be in Nice today to watch the match against the Welsh, there are things that remain the same: “In terms of fighting spirit, motivation and giving our bodies according to the manifesto, we are equal. Even the qualifying was similar on one point – us against Uruguay and them against the US – at the last chance.”
The difficulty of the group has not changed much… even if Portugal has already defeated Georgia and can surprise the Fiji Islands, the mission will be huge for the new generation of Wolves: “It’s complicated. In 2007 we had a chance “We beat Romania and we lost by four points. They have more chances. Besides being better prepared, the teams in the group are more equal.”
According to Rui Cordeiro, “Wales has several weaknesses to investigate”. “They have very good and very experienced players, but they are also young and as a team they are still not working well,” he analyzed.
This will be a point that Patrice Lagisquet will investigate. How to beat Wales? This is what the selector has been thinking about “for several months”, but “even if he had the key, he would never reveal it”. What is certain is that José Madeira is a last-minute trap, while Samuel Marques (who scored the kick that put Portugal in the World Cup) recovered and will start against the Welsh.
The Portuguese coach is more concerned about the weather, which predicts rain in Nice today, making it “difficult to play good rugby” and maintain the identity of the Portuguese game (fast and creative through the late lines), than about the 13 changes the Welsh will make from the starting fifteen that defeated Fiji in the first round of Group C.
That rehearsal for the All Blacks
Francisco Fernandes inherited the number 1 shirt worn by Rui Cordeiro at the 2007 World Cup and made history in the match against New Zealand, scoring a try. The All Blacks achieved a crushing victory (108-13, still the biggest ever defeat for the national team), but the biggest moment of the afternoon was the lone try from the Wolves (the Portuguese team’s nickname).
Honor for the then Académica player, then 30 years old and weighing 140 kilos, the heaviest player at that World Cup. “It all started with a good drill by António Aguilar… I saw the ball in front of me, caught it and dived into the area, pushed in by several teammates. Without them I couldn’t have done it. 40 seconds The fear ensued, I had to go to the video referee to confirm the try and then it was a total explosion. I remember picking up the ball as I waited for confirmation and the intensity of the exchange of looks between me and the New Zealand number 5. There were seconds of great visual tension until he took his hand out from under the ball,” the now vet recalled to DN.
That match was unforgettable, just like what happened next. The substitutes ended up playing a football match… which Portugal won 3-2. Finally, the All Blacks invited the Portuguese to have a few beers in the dressing room and couldn’t hide their surprise when they faced amateurs such as vets, doctors and lawyers… (see text opposite).
What happened to the pioneers of 2007?
There were 30 players who entered the history of rugby and Portuguese sport with their first appearance at a World Cup in the sport, in 2007. They were managed by Tomaz Morais, the current director of youth football at Sporting, and most of them went to Nice. to see the game.
Luis Picarra Assistant coach to national coach Patrice Lagisquet.
Rui Cordeiro Veterinarian responsible for the pig farms of the Montalvo Group.
Joao Correia Orthopedic doctor at Hospital da Luz.
Paulo Murinello Lives in Maputo and works in content production for television and film.
Daniel Penalva He was an assistant selector and coach in France.
Duarte Figueiredo He is part of the CDUL board.
Jose Pinto Orthopedist at Clínica do Ombro, Lambert, CUF Almada and Fidelidade.
Gonçalo Uva Works at investment company APEX (linked to top athletes)
Salvador Palha Works at Atena Equity Partners
Diogo Coutinho He works at an investment company and trains law students under the age of 18.
João Uva He coaches Portugal under 18 and is a coach at Técnico.
Vasco Uva He belongs to the legal department and works for a sterilization packaging company.
Antonio Aguilar German sevens coach.
Frederico Sousa Cascais coach and national sevens coach.
Pedro Leal Assistant to Frederico Sousa in the sevens, he also trains the team of challengers.
Gonçalo Foro CDUL coach.
Diogo gamma As director of the El Salvador national teams, he was a physical trainer at the Real Madrid Academy.
Tiago Girao Works with investment funds at Incus Capital.
Marcelo D’Orey Lawyer in Porto, he was part of the Disciplinary Board of the Portuguese Rugby Federation.
Miguel Portela Lawyer, part of the Legal Affairs department.
Cardoso Pinto General Manager of Palácio Chiado.
Pedro Cabral He works in restaurants and hotels.
Goncalo Malheiro He works for a hotel construction company.
Pedro Carvalho It is linked to the real estate sector, spread between Lisbon and Angola.
Diogo Mateus He lives in England and his professional occupation is unknown.
David Matthew Works at Groundforce – a logistics company linked to TAP.
Andre Silva He lives in France and his professional occupation is unknown.
Joaquim Ferreira A company administrator connects to Porto’s electronic ticket register.
Juan Murre He lives and works in Spain, but his professional occupation is unknown.
Christian Spachuk Lives and trains in France.
Juan Severino He married in Argentina and works in his father-in-law’s company in Buenos Aires.
Source: DN
