Paris (AFP) – Portugal surprised everyone last year when they surprised Fiji in their second Rugby World Cup appearance.
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Os Lobos (Wolves) defeated the Pacific Islanders and eventual quarterfinalists by one point in the group stage.
It happened three weeks after they drew with Georgia in their sixth World Cup appearance, and 16 years after they lost 108-13 to New Zealand on their debut in the tournament in 2007.
Portugal, coached by former France winger Patrice Lagisquet, returned home from the tournament in October to a hero's welcome in an unprecedented moment for rugby in the football-crazy country.
On Saturday, the Portugal national team traveled to Mons to face Belgium in the European Rugby Championship second division, hoping to further improve their performance despite a change of coach and the retirement of a number of first-choice players, and will continue to play in the European Rugby Championship in the second division. We will play our first match after that.
“I thought there was one surprise among us,” Lagiske told AFP.
“I was scared that I would face the reality of the physical challenges and be exhausted from the pre-game battle.
“In the end it was the other way around and we were able to finish by beating Fiji, one of the fittest teams in the World Cup,” the 61-year-old added.
Standout performances during the season included winger Raffaele Storti, who crossed three times in four games to thrill a country that traditionally reveres footballers such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Eusebio and Luis Figo. Included.
“I have no chance to be like Ronaldo,” Storti told AFP.
“I felt a lot of support that I had never felt before, but I'm not even close to a name like that. I'm staying humble and focusing on my rugby and continuing to improve,” said the 23-year-old. the player added.
“Keep your feet on the ground”
Since the World Cup, Portugal replaced Lagisque with fellow Frenchman Sebastien Bertrand, but Bertrand resigned after just a month in the role.
Former Argentina national team head coach Daniel Urcade was appointed to take over the team on an interim basis for the next season.
“This is a reasonable temporary solution,” Lagiske said. “I'm not worried about that.”
The Rugby European Championship is held during the World Rugby international period, and clubs are required to release players for test matches.
Eleven members of Portugal's squad are playing in France's second division ProD2, which will play five rounds of matches during the period, including Storti, who is on loan at Béziers from Top 14 side Stade Français.
“I heard that some ProD2 clubs are putting pressure on their players,” Lagiske said.
“I am concerned that some players may not be able to play all the Rugby European Championship matches,” he added.
Another potential headache for Urcade is the retirement of experienced players such as scrum-half Samuel Marquez and front-rowers Mike Tager and Francisco Fernandes, who are eligible for the 2027 World Cup starting next year. is.
“I think we need to think about a transition period of one or two years,” Lagiske said.
“This year will be a year to strengthen the team for the World Cup qualifiers.”
After the World Cup in France, World Rugby announced plans for the competition to begin in 2026, allowing for more matches between lower-ranked teams such as Portugal and higher-ranked nations such as France, New Zealand and England. .
Meanwhile, Os Lobos are preparing for their first match against four-time World Cup champions South Africa in Bloemfontein in July.
Storti has been in great form for Béziers this season and before this weekend's game against Belgium he had scored 16 tries in 11 games and was 26th in the world rankings.
The European Rugby Championship concludes in March, with favorites Portugal facing five-time champions and favorites Georgia in the final.
“It's really hard to set expectations because you don't know what to expect from a new group or new staff and how they're going to adapt,” Storti said.
“We try to stay grounded.
“The goal now is to win against Belgium and move on from there.”
© 2024 AFP
