Second string Scots put 50 past Os Lobos as Darcy Graham equals all-time try-scoring record

Hot-stepping wing Darcy Graham equalled Duhan van der Merwe’s all-time try-scoring record for Scotland as they triumphed over Portugal 59-21 on Saturday.

The much-changed Scottish side had a strong afternoon, running in eight tries through Will Hurd, Stafford McDowall, Graham, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Bhatti, Arron Reed (2), Jamie Dobie and a penalty try while Adam Hastings kicked five conversions and Tom Jordan one.

Portugal may have been on the wrong end of the result but still scored the most points against a home nation in their history through three tries from Luka Begic, Raffaele Storti and Samuel Marques, who also kicked both conversions.

It did not take long for the scoreboard to be active with Hurd opening the scoring with an unconverted try in the third minute.

Momentum stayed firmly with the hosts as McDowall snapped up a loose ball to score a try on his first game captaining his country.  Hastings was on hand to kick the extras on this occasion.

The hosts continued to play with swagger and, although Portugal’s defence grew into the game, Scotland were handed a penalty try for an illegally collapsed maul on Os Lobos’ line in the 27th minute.

The misery continued as sustained Scottish pressure resulted in Graham skipping through for his record-equalling try six minutes later with Hastings adding the extras, as he did for Bayliss’ try just four minutes after that.  However, Portugal had the final say with Begic’s converted score.

Scotland started the second period as they did the first with an early try, this time through Bhatti ― his first in Test rugby.  Hastings would miss the kick and next on the scoreboard was Portuguese talisman Marques who scampered over for a try he converted himself in the 54th minute.

Reed then suddenly decided to announce himself in the game with a three-minute double around the hour mark, both of which were converted by Hastings.

Portugal scored their last points of the game through a converted Storti try, but it was Scotland who had the final word with Dobie scoring his try, with man of the match Jordan kicking the conversion.

Teams

Scotland:  15 Tom Jordan, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Stafford McDowall (c), 11 Arron Reed, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Josh Bayliss, 7 Ben Muncaster, 6 Luke Crosbie, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Will Hurd, 2 Patrick Harrison, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements:  16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Elliot Millar Mills, 19 Ewan Johnson, 20 Freddy Douglas, 21 Jamie Dobie, 22 Matt Currie, 23 Kyle Rowe

Portugal:  15 Simao Bento, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton, 11 Lucas Martins, 10 Domingos Cabral, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Frederico Couto, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 Andre da Cunha, 5 Duarte Torgal, 4 Jose Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Luka Begic, 1 David Costa
Replacements:  16 Abel da Cunha, 17 Pedro Vicente, 18 Antonio Prim, 19 Antonio Rebelo de Andrade, 20 Vasco Baptista, 21 Antonio Campos, 22 Hugo Aubry, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Takehito Namekawa (JRFU)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (RFU), Anthony Woodthorpe (RFU)
TMO:  Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

Makazole Mapimpi and debutants shine as Springboks thrash Portugal

The Springboks overcame an early sending-off for Andre Esterhuizen to produce a dominant performance and secure a 64-21 victory over Portugal in Bloemfontein.

Esterhuizen received a yellow card after just two minutes for a head-on-head collision before it was upgraded to a red following a bunker review.

Os Lobos had already gone 7-0 ahead through Jose Paiva dos Santos when the centre’s punishment was increased, but it did not affect South Africa.

They were simply too powerful for the visitors and touched down five times in the first half through Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Phepsi Buthelezi, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Ben-Jason Dixon and Lukhanyo Am.

Rassie Erasmus’ men duly held a comfortable advantage at the interval, despite Manie Libbok having more issues off the tee ― kicking just two conversions ― and Arendse being sin-binned.

The Boks then built on that lead in the second period as Makazole Mapimpi scored a brace before Quan Horn and Andre-Hugo Venter made it four debutants on the scoresheet.

Jose Madeira crossed the whitewash for Portugal late on, but Mapimpi rounded off a good Boks display with a hat-trick try.

Few gave Portugal a chance going into this clash but they started the match well and their hopes were given a boost when Esterhuizen was yellow-carded for hitting Jose Lima high.

With the Boks midfield powerhouse off the field, the visitors touched down for the first try when a counter-attack resulted in Paiva dos Santos going over.

Thoughts then turned to a potential shock being in the cards after Esterhuizen received his marching orders after a review, but they were only brief.

Ultimately, the hosts’ power, skill and set-piece excellence came to the fore, which enabled Wessels to go over on his debut.

Buthelezi, another newbie, then followed him after a dominant driving maul allowed the flanker to touch down from close range.

Despite the obvious physical dominance, the Springboks were also playing some excellent rugby with the ball in hand and Aphelele Fassi exemplified that.

The full-back received the ball on halfway, jinked his way through the opposition defence and kicked ahead for Arendse to collect and score.

South Africa were in control and a fourth try in 14 minutes was soon forthcoming when Dixon crossed the whitewash on just his second cap.

Portugal kept on battling and briefly stemmed the tide ― partly thanks to Arendse’s yellow card for a croc roll ― but their defence was once again breached just shy of the interval through Am.

At 29-7 in front at the break, the result was effectively decided but the Boks increased their buffer at the start of the second period via Mapimpi.

The wing then completed his brace after good work from replacement Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who drew the defence and off-loaded for Mapimpi to scamper clear.

To the visitors’ credit, they continued to play expansively and caused the South African rearguard a few problems, with Paiva dos Santos rewarding their ambition with a second try.

However, there was still time for two more Springboks debutants to go over as Horn and Venter both got their names on the scoresheet.

Portugal did go over for a third time via Madeira, but Erasmus’ men had the final word through Mapimpi.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Salmaan Moerat (c), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Replacements:  16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Quan Horn

Portugal:  15 Simao Bento, 14 Manuel Cardoso Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Joris Moura, 9 Hugo Camacho, 8 Vasco Baptista, 7 Diego Pinheiro, 6 Jose Madeira, 5 Duarte Torgal, 4 Nicolas Fernandes, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Luka Begic, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 David Costa, 17 Pedro Vicente, 18 Abel Cunha, 19 Antionio R. Andrade, 20 Andre Cunha, 21 Pedro Lucas, 22 Domingos Cabral, 23 Jose P. Santos

Referee:  Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Evans (Wales), Mike Adamson (Scotland)
TMO:  Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Portugal claim historic first Rugby World Cup win but Fiji still progress

Fiji survived an almighty scare against a superb Portugal side as they progress to the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, despite losing 24-23 on Sunday.

It was an historic first ever tournament win for Os Lobos as a frantic finish saw them come out on top thanks to a late converted try at Stadium de Toulouse.

While defeat for Fiji will be a tough result to swallow, they still move onto the last-eight of the World Cup at the expense of the Wallabies, who crash out.

Fiji will now face England in the knockout stages while Eddie Jones' Australia head home after bowing out at the pool stage for the first time in their history.

After a scrappy first half ended 3-3, the game came to life in the second half with Portugal seizing the initiative.

The underdogs got the first try in the 45th minute when the impressive Raffaele Storti, who narrowly missed a try in the first half, chased down a kick into the corner from Pedro Bettencourt and stretched to touch down, with Samuel Marques kicking the conversion.

That fired Fiji into life and just three minutes later Levani Botia replied with a powerful run before Frank Lomani levelled the scores with the extras.

But Botia was then sent to the sin bin for making head contact and Portugal were quick to make Fiji pay as they powered their way over the line with Francisco Fernandes touching down, Marques making it 17-10.

Fiji responded once more, working the ball out for Mesake Doge to go over before Lomani tied the scores, and they looked on course for victory as Lomani kicked a couple of penalties in the last 10 minutes to put Fiji 23-17 up.

But there was one last bit of drama as Storti raced towards the line and then fed Rodrigo Marta to finish it off in the 78th minute, with Marques splitting the posts to give Portugal a shock win.

The moments that made history #RWC2023 | #FIJvPOR pic.twitter.com/fc5pMOCisU

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 8, 2023

The teams

Fiji:  15 Sireli Maqala, 14 Selesitino Ravutaumada, 13 Waisea Nayacalevu (c), 12 Josua Tuisova, 11 Vinaya Habosi, 10 Vilimoni Botitu, 9 Frank Lomani, 8 Viliame Mata, 7 Levani Botia, 6 Meli Derenalagi, 5 Temo Mayanavanua, 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Luke Tagi, 2 Samuel Matavesi, 1 Eroni Mawi
Replacements:  16 Tevita Ikanivere, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Mesake Doge, 19 Te Ahiwaru Cirikidaveta, 20 Albert Tuisue, 21 Peni Matawalu, 22 Teti Tela, 23 Iosefo Masi

Portugal:  15 Manuel Cardoso Pinto, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Pedro Bettencourt, 12 José Lima (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jerónimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Rafael Simões, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 David Wallis, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 4 José Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 David Costa, 17 Duarte Diniz, 18 Anthony Alves, 19 Duarte Torgal, 20 João Granate, 21 João Belo, 22 Tomás Appleton, 23 Vincent Pinto

Referee:  Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Wallabies keep slim hopes alive with hard-fought win over Portugal

Australia kept alive their slim hopes of progressing to the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after claiming a 34-14 bonus-point victory over Portugal on Sunday.

The five-point haul in Saint-Etienne puts the Wallabies one point ahead of Fiji in Pool C, but crucially the islanders still have one fixture to play next week.

That clash will see Fiji face Os Lobos in Toulouse where Australia will be praying for a miracle that sees the former fail to pick up anything from the game.

Portugal, as they proved once again on Sunday, will be no pushover as they caused Australia plenty of problems at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in this match.

Tries from Richie Arnold, Dave Porecki, Angus Bell, Fraser McReight and Marika Koroibete secured the bonus-point win but it was far from straightforward.

Pedro Bettencourt and Rafael Simoes crossed for Os Lobos as they dominated large spells of the contest, garnering even more supporters at this tournament.

Ben Donaldson's penalty put the first points on the board for Australia four minutes in, but Portugal scored the first try of the game as Bettencourt crossed in the corner with Samuel Marques converting.

Bettencourt was then sin-binned, but Donaldson missed the subsequent penalty and the Wallabies then quickly responded with a try to retake the lead as Arnold crossed, with Donaldson able to convert.

With Portugal a man down, the tries came in quick succession for Australia from Porecki and Bell, with Donaldson adding the extras.

Nicolas Martins thought he had pulled a try back for Portugal just before the break but it was chalked off thanks to Andrew Kellaway's tackle and Australia led 24-7 at half-time.

👏 What a tackle, Andrew Kellaway! #AUSvPOR #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/Tq8NGcihyq

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 1, 2023

McReight crossed six minutes into the second half to secure the bonus point the Wallabies needed to stay alive in the tournament, before Portugal had another try disallowed after Mike Tadjer lost control of the ball.

There was danger for Australia as they were reduced to 13 when Matt Faessler and Samu Kerevi were sin-binned within two minutes of each other.

Portugal took advantage as Simoes scored a converted try with 10 minutes to go, but Koroibete added Australia's fifth try to finish the game off.

The teams

Australia:  15 Andrew Kellaway, 14 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 13 Izaia Perese, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Tom Hooper, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Nick Frost, 3 James Slipper, 2 David Porecki (c), 1 Angus Bell
Replacements:  16 Matt Faessler, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Pone Fa'amausili, 19 Rob Leota, 20 Josh Kemeny, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Suliasi Vunivalu

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Pedro Bettencourt, 12 Tomás Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jerónimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Thibault de Freitas, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 David Wallis, 5 Martim Belo, 4 José Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 David Costa
Replacements:  16 Francisco Fernandes, 17 Duarte Diniz, 18 Francisco Bruno, 19 Steevy Cerqueira, 20 Rafael Simoes, 21 Joao Belo, 22 Joris Moura, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (France), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Joy Neville (Ireland)

Georgia and Portugal's Rugby World Cup clash ends all square in Toulouse

Georgia and Portugal could not be separated at the Stadium de Toulouse on Saturday, with their Rugby World Cup contest finishing in an exciting 18-18 draw.

In an enthralling encounter, Portugal came from 13-0 behind to launch a stunning fightback as they held an 18-13 lead before Tengizi Zamtaradze scored a try in the game's dying moments to clinch the draw for the Lelos.

Akaki Tabutsadze also scored a try for Georgia while Tedo Abzhandadze added two penalties and a conversion.

Raffaele Storti was Portugal's hero as he scored a brace of tries and their other points came via the boot of Samuel Marques, who succeeded with two penalties and a conversion.

The Lelos made a fantastic start and opened the scoring inside 90 seconds when Davit Niniashvili made a telling line break inside Portugal's 22 before getting a sublime offload out to Tabutsadze, who went over for a try.

The next 20 minutes was a tight contest as the sides battled to gain the ascendancy but a penalty from Abzhandadze in the 16th minute gave his team a 10-0 lead, before Gela Aprasidze crossed the whitewash shortly afterwards but his effort was disallowed as he knocked on in the build-up.

Despite having that score disallowed, Georgia still held an edge over their opponents and they spent long periods camped inside Portugal's half.

In the 32nd minute, Abzhandadze increased Georgia's lead with another three-pointer off the kicking tee after Pedro Bettencourt was blown up for straying offside on defence before Os Lobos opened their account with a superb try from Storti.

Portugal gathered possession from the restart ― after Abzhandadze's penalty ― and the ball was shifted wide to Storti, who stepped past a couple of defenders about 10 metres inside Georgia's half before showing the cover defence a clean pair of heels over the try-line.

Marques struck an upright with his conversion attempt but, despite that setback, Portugal had their tails up during the latter stages of the opening half.

However, they suffered a setback just before half-time when Francisco Fernandes was yellow carded for a 'no arms' tackle on Shalva Mamukashvili and the teams changed sides with the Lelos holding a 13-5 lead.

A tense finish to a blockbuster in Toulouse 🤯#RWC2023 | #GEOvPOR pic.twitter.com/V2ivtU1gtU

― Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 23, 2023

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Os Lobos held the upper hand during the early stages of the second half and they reduced the deficit to five points in the 48th minute when Marques slotted a penalty after Vladimer Chachanidze was punished for a high tackle on Jerónimo Portela.

Portugal continued to dominate as the half progressed and another Marques penalty five minutes later meant the match was evenly balanced before Storti gave Portugal the lead with his second five-pointer midway through the second half.

This, after he gathered an inside pass from Portela and set off on an arcing run before crossing the whitewash.  Marques added the extras which meant Portugal had their tails up with the score 18-13 in their favour.

The final quarter was a tense affair as the Lelos tried desperately to draw level but a combination of errors and stoic Portuguese defence kept them at bay for long periods until Zamtaradze went over for his five-pointer off the back of a lineout drive deep inside Portugal's 22 in the 79th minute.

Luka Matkava lined up the conversion attempt, which would have secured the win for the Lelos, but his effort was wide of the uprights.

There was drama at the end when Os Lobos were awarded a penalty in the game's closing stages, after one of Georgia's players held onto the ball at a ruck, but Nuno Sousa Guedes' shot at goal was off target.

That meant the teams had to settle for the draw which denied Portugal their first-ever victory in a Rugby World Cup match.

The teams

Georgia:  15 Davit Niniashvili, 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Giorgi Kveseladze, 12 Merab Sharikadze (c), 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Tedo Abzhandadze, 9 Gela Aprasidze, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Beka Saginadze, 6 Tornike Jalagonia, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Vladimer Chachanidze, 3 Beka Gigashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements:  16 Tengizi Zamtaradze, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Guram Papidze, 19 Nodar Cheishvili, 20 Giorgi Tsutskiridze, 21 Vasil Lobzhanidze, 22 Luka Matkava, 23 Demur Tapladze

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Raffaele Storti, 13 Pedro Bettencourt, 12 Tomás Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jerónimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Rafael Simões, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 João Granate, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 4 José Madeira, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 David Costa, 17 Lionel Campergue, 18 Anthony Alves, 19 Martim Belo, 20 David Wallis, 21 Thibault de Freitas, 22 Pedro Lucas, 23 Manuel Cardoso Pinto

Referee:  Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees:  Matthew Carley (England), Chris Busby (Ireland)
Television Match Official:  Joy Neville (Ireland)

Wales struggle to second Rugby World Cup win against brilliant Portugal

Wales were made to work incredibly hard by Portugal but they managed to secure their second triumph in Pool C after claiming a 28-8 win in Nice.

The Portuguese were impressive throughout and caused their opponents numerous problems, but the greater quality eventually told.

Louis Rees-Zammit, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan, and Taulupe Faletau's tries proved to be enough as Warren Gatland's men claimed a crucial bonus-point.

Os Lobos, making their first Rugby World Cup appearance since 2007, were excellent and were rewarded through Nicolas Martins' try, but they could not quite go over for a second time to set up an exciting finale.

Portugal's exciting back division stretched Wales' defence in all directions, although wing Vincent Pinto blotted the copybook when he was red-carded late in the game following a bunker review after his boot caught Josh Adams in the face.

Wales suffered an injury blow shortly before kick-off when flanker Tommy Reffell withdrew from the starting line-up and was replaced by Morgan.

Portugal, playing their first World Cup game for 16 years, were captained by centre Tomas Appleton and under the coaching direction of former France international wing Patrice Lagisquet.

Samuel Marques missed a golden chance to put his team in front when he sent a short-range penalty wide, and Wales went ahead through a ninth-minute try that saw an impressive finish from Rees-Zammit, who then performed a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration.

Leigh Halfpenny converted, but Portugal showed plenty of adventure in attack, and Faletau pulled off a try-saving tackle that preserved Wales' 7-0 lead after 17 minutes.

It was an impressive effort by the underdogs as their eagerness to move possession wide and at pace tested Wales' defence.

Wales made errors when they got within sight of Portugal's line, and an element of frustration was underlined when Johnny Williams received a yellow card following a technical infringement.

It was an outstanding first-half display by Portugal, who were beaten 102-11 on their only previous meeting with Wales in a World Cup qualifier 29 years ago.

Wales just could not get going, compounding their situation through poor work in the contact area, and Marques kicked a penalty three minutes before the break.

Williams then had a try disallowed after he failed to ground the ball, only for Lake to power over from close range, with Halfpenny's conversion making it 14-3 at the interval.

🇵🇹 WHAT A MOMENT FOR PORTUGAL!

Nicolas Martins scores their first try of #RWC2023! #WALvPOR pic.twitter.com/GwYrGm5aAj

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 16, 2023

Wales began the second period by losing two attacking lineouts in quick succession inside Portugal's 22, and Gatland soon turned to his replacements' bench, sending on Ryan Elias, Corey Domachowski, Tomas Francis and Adam Beard.

Back-row forward Taine Basham soon followed them into the action, and Wales claimed a third try after 56 minutes when Morgan crossed from close range and Halfpenny added the extras.

Portugal deservedly claimed a try midway through the second half when clever lineout work produced a try for Martins.  Marques' touchline conversion attempt hit a post, and it was a warning sign to Wales that their opponents had no intention of going quietly.

The closing stages were all about whether or not Wales could secure a bonus point, and they thought they had it when scrum-half Gareth Davies crossed, only to see it disallowed for midfield obstruction.

That summed up Wales' day, but after Pinto was dismissed, Faletau scored in the game's final play and Costelow converted.

Wales:  15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements:  16 Ryan Elias, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Sam Costelow, 23 Josh Adams

Portugal:  15 Nuno Sousa Guedes, 14 Vincent Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomas Appleton (c), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Jeronimo Portela, 9 Samuel Marques, 8 Rafael Simoes, 7 Nicolas Martins, 6 Joao Granate, 5 Steevy Cerqueira, 4 José Madeira, 3 Anthony Alves, 2 Mike Tadjer, 1 Francisco Fernandes
Replacements:  16 Raffaele Storti, 17 Joris Moura, 18 Pedro Lucas, 19 David Wallis, 20 Martim Belo, 21 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 22 Lionel Campergue, 23 David Costa

Referee:  Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Seven-try Canada thrash Portugal

Canada finished their November Test campaign on a high after beating Portugal 52-8 in Lisbon on Saturday.

James Pritchard was the visitors' hero, contributing 27 points via two tries, four conversions and three penalties.

Canada opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Ciaran Hearn got in for a try after running on to a pass from Harry Jones.

Pritchard converted and 10 minutes later got his first five-pointer — after gathering his own chip kick — which he also converted.  He added a penalty before Russia got their first points on the board through a penalty from their full-back Pedro Leal.

Canada took their foot off the pedal for the rest of the half with Pritchard adding a penalty and his second try to give them a comfortable 25-3 lead at half-time.

After the interval the visitors upped the ante, with Hearns scoring his second try and Nick Blevins, Taylor Paris and Connor Braid also crossing the whitewash.

The scorers:

For Portugal:
Tries:  Bettencourt
Pen:  Leal

For Canada:
Tries:  Hearn 2, Pritchard 2, Blevins, Braid, Paris
Cons:  Pritchard 4
Pens:  Pritchard 3

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 Gonçalo Foro, 13 Pedro Bettencourt, 12 Miguel Leal, 11 Frederico Oliveira, 10 Francisco V. Almeida, 9 Francisco P. Magalhães, 8 Vasco Uva, 7 António Duarte, 6 Fernando Almeida, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 Rafael Simões, 3 Jorge Segurado, 2 João Correia (capt), 1 Bruno Medeiros.
Replacements:  16 João Almeida, 17 Bruno Rocha, 18 Francisco Tavares, 19 Luís Portela, 20 Eric dos Santos, 21 Nuno Penha e Costa, 22 Francisco Appleton, 23 Adérito Esteves.

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Conor Trainor, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Nick Blevins, 11 Taylor Paris, 10 Harry Jones, 9 Phil Mack, 8 Adam Kleeberger, 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 John Moonlight, 5 Tyler Hotson, 4 Jon Phelan, 3 Andrew Tiedemann, 2 Ray Barkwill, 1 Hubert Buydens (capt).
Replacements:  16 Benoit Piffero, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Jake Ilnicki, 19 Brett Beukeboom, 20 Kyle Gilmour, 21 Jamie Mackenzie, 22 Pat Parfrey, 23 Connor Braid.

Referee:  Ian Davies (Wales)

Lelos in big win over Lobos

Georgia beat Portugal 31-3 in the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Vake on Saturday, to move to the top of the European Nations Cup, the "Six Nations B". They have the same number of points as Russia but have a better points' difference.

Standings, with matches played match points and points' difference

1 Georgia 5 - 13, 131
2 Russia 5 - 13, 80
3 Spain 6 - 12, 23
4 Romania 5 - 11, 71
5 Portugal 5 - 9, -28
6 Czech Republic 6 - 6, -277

Georgia play Romania this weekend.

Georgia scored five tries to nil in this convincing win on a cold but fine day. Both sides had much weakened teams because the match had had to be twice rescheduled because of unrest in Georgia and some players were not released by their clubs.

Portugal had just five players who went to the 2007 World Cup.

The Lelos won the game up front as their forwards dominated.

Scorers:

For Georgia:
Tries:  Katcharava, Khamashuridze, Dadunashvili, Guigauri, Bassilaia;
Cons:  Qiassashvili, Kvirikashvili 2

For Portugal:
Pen:  Cabral

Teams:

Georgia:  15 Irakli Qiassashvili, 14 Irakli Chkhikvadze, 13 David Katcharava, 12 Rezo Guigauri, 11 Bessik Khamashuridze; 10 Meko Kvirikashvili, 9 Irakli Abusseridze (captain), 8 Dimitri Bassilaia, 7 Rati Urushadze, 6 Shalva Sutiashvili, 5 Kakha Uchava, 4 David Datunashvili, 3 David Kubriashvili, 2 Levan Dadunashvili, 1 Goderdzi Shvelidze
Replacements:  16 Irakli Natriashvili, 17 Anton Peikrishvili, 18 George Chkhaidze, 19 Zviad Maissuradze, 20 Bidzina Samkharadze, 21 Lasha Malaghuradze, 22 Otar Barkalaia

Portugal:  15Vasco Gaspar, 14 Aderito Esteves, 13 Hugo Melo, 12 Francisco Mira, 11 Gonçalo Foro; 10 Pedro Cabral, 9 Magalhaes, 8 Tiago Girão, 7 Antonio Duarte, 6 Juan Severino, 5 Sebastião Cunha, 4 Eduardo Acosta, 3 Juan Murré, 2 João Correia (captain), 1 Rodrigo Aguiar
Replavcements:  16 Gustavo Duarte, 17 Diogo Fialho, 18 Manuel Sommer Ribeiro, 19 Francisco Fragateiro, 20 Lourenço Kadosh , 21 Bernardo Duarte, 22 Diogo Miranda

Referee:  Giulio De Santis (Italy)
Touch judges:  Roberto Orlandini (Italy), Gianluca Bonacci (Italy)

"New" Romanians smash Portugal

Romania took a brand new team to Portugal and beat the Lobos 23-5 in Lisbon in a European Nations Cup match on Saturday.  It is a promising result for the Oaks, a shattering one for the Lobos.

When the two teams met in the Rugby World Cup, the Oaks, with all their foreign players, eked out a 14-10 victory over Portugal.  Now, with a team almost entirely made up of home-based players and in Portugal, the Romanians have come up with this substantial victory.

At half-time Romania led 6-3.  Gonçalo Malheiro opened the scoring for Portugal with a penalty after two minutes but then Romania goaled two through flyhalf Dan Dumbrava, who was forced to leave the field injured just before half-time.

Early in the second half lock Valentin Popirlan scored a try.  Fullback Florin Vlaicu took over the kicking from Dumbrava and goaled the conversion and then a penalty.  Replacement wing Catalin Descalu scored the second try.

The Romanians were greatly pleased and encouraged by the victory.

Scorers

For Romania
Tries:  Popirlan, Dascalu
Cons:  Vlaicu 2
Pens:  Dumbrava 2, Vlaicu

For Portugal
Try:  Foro
Pen:  Malheiro

Teams

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 António Aguilar, 13 Frederico Sousa, 12 Francisco Mira, 11 Gonçalo Foro, 10 Gonçalo Malheiro, 9 Luís Pissarra, 8 Tiago Girão, 7 Vasco Uva, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 Eduardo Acosta, 3 Cristian Spachuk, 2 João Correia, 1 Juan Murré.
Replacements:  16 Rodrigo Aguiar, 17 Duarte Figueiredo, 18 Juan Severino, 19 António Sarmento, 20 José Pinto, 21 Pedro Cabral, 22 Diogo Gama

Romania:  15 Florin Vlaicu, 14 Gheorghita Bigiu, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Vlad Dan, 11 Stefan Ciuntu, 10 Danut Dumbrava, 9 Iulian Andrei, 8 Costica Mersoiu (captain), 7 Mihai Macovei, 6 Stelian Burcea, 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Alin Marcel Coste, 3 Radu Basalau, 2 Marcel Mihalache, 1 Nicolae Nere
Replacements:  16 Flavius Dobre, 17 Bogdan Zebega, 18 Cosmin Ratiu, 19 Vasile Rus, 20 Ciprian Caplescu, 21 Ionut Dimofte, 22 Catalin Dascalu

Referee:  Tim Hayes (Wales)
Touch judges:  David Bodilly (Wales), Mike Bethell (Wales)
Match commissioner:  Yves Bressy (France)

Portugal prove a point

Portugal left the World Cup with heads held high and a consolatory bonus point after Romania beat them 14-10 in Toulouse on Tuesday.

It was a game for the purist, one full of passion and commitment from all involved.  It was not to be the Portuguese swansong many had hoped for but it was further evidence of their emergence in the world game.  So, too, was it a marvellous display of brute strength from Romania, packed full of desire, right to the last.

Ultimately it came down to one last play.  Portugal trailed by four points and had the ball on their line.  Their scrum creaked under immense pressure but the possession was secured and suddenly images of one last hurrah, an epic try to finish the fairytale, flashed through the minds of thousands.  As it was three phases later the ball trickled into touch and Romania raised their arms in victory.

Portuguese players lay strewn, disconsolate in defeat, yet with so much to be proud of, so much to remember from a special journey.  The sight of Vasco Uva, the injured captain, embracing his brother and cousin symbolised the unity within their ranks.  They may be gone from the World Cup but they will live on in the memory for many a year to come.

For so long it looked as if they would muster the energy from the depths of their bodies to hold on for what would have been a remarkable victory.  Romania and their bludgeoning forwards had other ideas, and eventually their muscular approach took its toll.  The manner in which they first mauled and then hammered at the Portuguese defence was relentless and hugely effective.

The Oaks signaled their intent from the off, starting at a breakneck speed, but their skills could not quite keep up with their legs.  Much of what they created was spoilt by little errors, else Portugal could have been put to the sword early and painlessly.  As it was they grew in stature with every thrust they repelled, and slowly they played themselves into the game.

They even afforded the crowd some moments of magic, demonstrating attacking dare to clear their lines rather than simply booting the ball to safety.  António Aguilar first danced on his own line and then exploded away with a weaving run much to the delight of a packed out Stade Municipal.  For all their early dominance Romania presented Portugal with the simplest of opening tries.

Portuguese forays into Romanian territory were rare, and it was on their first visit to the Oaks' 22 from which they scored.  Razvan Mavrodin was a little trigger happy at the line out which resulted in a rather surprised João Uva gaining possession.  He surged for the line but was repelled, not so Joaquim Ferreira who forced his way over to a deafening roar.

And so the rearguard effort began.  Romania proceeded to thrust time and again into Os Lobos' 22, and each time they were met by an army of red shirts.  The defence was not pretty but it was effective, and somehow they held on until half-time, a chance to gather themselves for one last effort.

Frustration mounted in the second half as Romania failed to find their rhythm, demonstrated by Cristian Petre's reckless kick at the head of Ruben Spachuck.  Lucky for both parties concerned it missed, but something tells you this will not be the last you hear of the matter.  Let it not detract from the events of the final thirty minutes, for the intrigue was only to deepen.

Fresh legs were introduced to the Romanian pack, and how they needed this new lease of life.  Sorin Socol and Marius Tincu came to the fore and slowly but surely their influence took its toll.  The Portuguese line was under siege by this stage and it was only a matter of time before they cracked.

The Portuguese pack had been primed with a series of telling drives by Romania, and eventually their resolute defence crumbled as Marius Tincu ploughed over the line for a converted try that levelled the game at seven a piece.

The sands of time were trickling away and Portugal were looking jaded, but with eleven minutes to go they were given a fresh lease of life.  A penalty, given away by Socol allowed Gonçalo Malheiro to edge his side back in front.  Cue the final ten minutes of pressure, the final ten minutes that shattered a Portuguese dream and delighted a Romanian team intent on winning at least one game in France.

Romania reverted to type, laying the platform for the decisive try with a mighty drive to within inches of the line.  They came at Portugal like banshees, yet those tired and battered bodies clad in red gave every last ounce to defend their lead, their very dreams depended on it.

The mind was strong but the body was tired and could not manage to hold on as Alexandru Manta was driven over for the winning score.  The relief was etched on every Romanian face, the despair equally so on those from Portugal.

So we bid a very fond farewell to Portugal, and in doing so we thank them for what they have given to this World Cup.  They came as rank underdogs and leave as heroes to so many.  Romania now, for their reward, will trudge into one more battle, against the All Blacks.  Fitting then that they took their win here as this is where their World Cup effectively ends too.

Man of the Match:  For Romania their forward pack was mighty impressive, none more so than captain Ovidiu Tonita.  And in Iulian Dumitras they had a player who with one simple swing of his boot could change defence into attack.  But it was the Portuguese who impressed that little bit more.  From one to twenty-two they fought for a win that was agonisingly out of their reach.  It is a double award here, to João Uva and Diogo Coutinho who were the heartbeat of the team.  They worked themselves to a standstill in both attack and defence, fighting for every last scrap of possession and never once faltering in their task.

Moment of the Match:  Having withstood so much pressure you could sense the pendulum swing to Romania's favour when Marius Tincu scored.  From there on it Portugal were up against it and could not quite turn their dream into reality.

Villin of the Match:  In a game that meant so much to so many it is with regret that we must hand this award out.  But for his petulant lash out with the boot it goes to Cristian Petre.  There was simply no need for it and he will be lucky to escape the citing officer.

The scorers:

For Portugal:
Try:  Ferreira
Con:  Pinto
Pen:  Malheiro

For Romania:
Tries:  Tincu, Manta
Con:  Calafateanu, Dumbrava

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 António Aguilar, 13 Federico Sousa, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Miguel Portela, 10 Duarte Cardoso Pinto, 9 José Pinto, 8 Tiago Girão, 7 João Uva, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 David Penalva, 3 Ruben Spachuck, 2 Joaquim Ferreira (c), 1 Rui Cordeiro.
Replacements:  16 João Correia, 17 Juan Manuel Muré, 18 Paulo Murinello, 19 Salvador Palha, 20 Luis Pissarra, 21 Gonçalo Malheiro, 22 Pedro Carvalho.

Romania:  15 Iulian Dumitras, 14 Catalin Nicolae, 13 Ionut Dimofte, 12 Romeo Gontineac, 11 Catalin Fercu, 10 Dan Dumbrava, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Ovidiu Tonita (c), 7 Alexandru Manta, 6 Alexandru Tudori, 5 Cristian Petre, 4 Cosmin Ratiu, 3 Bogdan Balan, 2 Razvan Mavrodin, 1 Cezar Popescu.
Replacements:  16 Marius Tincu, 17 Paulica Ion, 18 Sorin Socol, 19 Florin Corodeanu, 20 Lucian Sirbu, 21 Florin Vlaicu, 22 Gabriel Brezoianu.

Referee:  Paul Honiss
Touch judges:  Simon McDowell, Carlo Damasco
Television match official:  Kelvin Deaker
Assessor:  Tappe Henning

Italy stuck in first gear

Italy are now clear second favourites in their race to finish as Pool C runners-up behind the All Blacks after a desperately poor 31-5 win over Portugal on Wednesday.

Despite being on the front foot for most of the match, the Azzurri shortcomings in attack were glaring, and Scotland will be eager to get the All Blacks out of the way and get to Saint Etienne for their match with the Italians now.

This was, from an Italian perspective, as frustrating a performance as they could not have hoped for.  At fleeting moments they bordered on the brilliant, but for the whole they teetered just below average.  Portugal, for their part, were resolute in defence, and bar one visit to the Azzurri twenty-two in the first half, from which they scored, spent the majority of the game on the back foot.

Positives both sides will take from this, but Italy, vying for a place in the quarter finals will feel the negatives outweigh them by far.  It was similar to Scotland's win on Tuesday, with the difference coming in that Portugal were a superior side to Romania, and therein lay Italy's problem.

For long periods they were unable to break down a stubborn and committed Portuguese defence, that, in fairness, worked feverishly until the final whistle.  That Italy spent the final four minutes of the game chasing a bonus point score suggests they were worthy of one, but they were not.

Credit must go to Portugal, to bounce back from a hundred-point drubbing is testament to the spirit in their squad.  However, as much as they toiled, they were unable to produce enough quality ball to sustain their sporadic attacks.  The one meaningful attack they did string together was devastating, and yielded the try it so deserved.

Having failed to produce a performance of note in the tournament to date, Italy came out with all guns blazing.  Receiving the kick-off they set a maul and literally ran Portugal back to half-way, and it seemed as if they had been stung into action by the criticism levelled at them.  Further evidence of this came after four minutes, in which they kept the ball throughout, when Andrea Masi crossed for the opening score.

Sadly that was where the Italian promise ended, that was until the final ten minutes, and Portugal's dogged defence dominated the game.  Chasing a bonus point from the off, Italy tried in vain to score four tries, yet they had to settle for four David Bortolussi penalties and Masi's lone try until the seventy-second minute.

It took Portugal thirty minutes to even enter the Italian twenty-two, but it was worth the wait.  Their first attack, sparked by Duarte Cardoso Pinto, led to their only score of the game.  The wily fly-half pirouetted through the Italian defence before the ball was sent wide to replacement Diogo Gama who drew the last defender and sent second row David Penalva over for his first international try.

The Azzurri did little to help themselves, often opting to force the pass rather than set another phase, the result was an error count they would have been happy with as a score.  It leaves one wondering just who will progress to the quarter-finals, as both Italy and Scotland were as disappointing as each other over the past couple of nights.

A late surge, which saw Italy score two tries, gave them the chance of a bonus point, yet a lack of tactical awareness ensured it was not forthcoming.  The first try was just reward for the hard-working Mauro Bergamasco, one of the few players to emerge with credit, although it was the work of his pack that paved the way for his score.

With the bit between their teeth, and spurred on by a passionate Alessandro Troncon, the third try duly followed.  With Portugal looking to rush the Italian attack Roland de Marigny spotted the space and floated a deft chip in behind.  The rest was simple, Masi won the foot race and grounded for his second score to set up a tense finish.

The following four minutes of chaos left you wondering as to the mindset of Italy.  Rather than keeping the ball in hand they instead kicked it away needlessly on several occasions, the final kick resulting in the final whistle.  Strange tactics for a side who needed possession to score one more try.

Pierre Berbizier will now be afforded the luxury of a ten-day preparation window before the crucial game against Scotland.  On this performance he will need everyone of them.

Where now for Portugal, the side who have won the hearts of every neutral in the land.  A final hurrah against Romania, a game you would expect them to win, for they have proved they are a far superior side to the Oaks.  And nobody would begrudge them a win in their final game, it will be a fitting end to a campaign that has given so many people so much pleasure.

Man of the Match:  Again Portugal fought in a gallant manner, and again everyone of them played a telling part.  Vasco Uva is fast growing into a fine player, and the half-back pairing of Duarte Cardoso Pinto and José Pinto were prominent throughout.  But, despite a lacklustre display, this award goes the way of an Italian.  Mauro Bergamasco was the pick of the forwards, running hard in attack and showing his worth in defence.  Alessandro Troncon was solid in his 100th game, but it was David Bortolussi who stood out.  Assured under the high ball, settled with the boot and constantly looking for work in attack he was head and shoulders above the rest.

Moment of the Match:  David Bortolussi's first penalty.  Chasing four tries from the start Italy were soon reduced to kicking at goal and thus evaporated any chance of the bonus point.

Villain of the Match:  One could say it was Marco Bortolami for his yellow card, but given that he didn't seem to throw the punch for which he was punished it would be unfair.  On that note the game was clean and honest.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Tries:  Masi 2, Bergamasco
Cons:  Bortolussi 2
Pens:  Bortolussi 4

For Portugal:
Try:  Pinto

Yellow card:  Bortolami (8, Italy, punching)

Italy:  15 David Bortolussi, 14 Pablo Canavosio, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Matteo Pratichetti, 10 Roland de Marigny, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 8 Manoa Vosawai, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Sergio Parisse, 5 Marco Bortolami (c), 4 Carlo Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements:  16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Salvatore Perugini, 19 Valerio Bernabò, 20 Silvio Orlando, 21 Paul Griffen, 22 Ezio Galon.

Portugal:  15 Pedro Cabral, 14 David Mateus, 13 Federico Sousa, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 António Aguilar, 10 Duarte Cardoso Pinto, 9 José Pinto, 8 Vasco Uva (c), 7 João Uva, 6 Tiago Girão, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 David Penalva, 3 Ruben Spachuck, 2 João Correia, 1 Rui Cordeiro.
Replacements:  16 Juan Manuel Muré, 17 Andre Silva, 18 Duarte Figueiredo, 19 Paulo Murinello, 20 Luis Pissarra, 21 Diogo Gama, 22 Gonçalo Foro.

Referee:  Marius Jonker
Touch judges:  Federico Cuesta, Malcolm Changleng
Television match official:  Paul Marks
Assessor:  Steve Hilditch

Portugal leave their mark

It was always going to be hard not to see them as the romanticists' victors on the day, but Portugal's brave efforts in a 108-13 defeat to New Zealand on Saturday were wondrous.

Nearly fifty points adrift at half-time, the men in red came out for the second half with a few fresh faces and some new-found adrenaline, and brought the Stade Gerland to its feet with a try, followed by a sustained period of pressure in the ABs half of the field.

But it was in the latter stages of each half where the differences between professionals and non-professionals came to the fore, with the All Blacks enjoying purple patches just before the break, and in the final ten minutes when Portugal's braves had shot their bolt.  In the end, the try tally was every bit as comprehensive as we expected -- 16-1 -- but Portugal's players will have an unforgettable experience and moment to savour for the rest of their lives.

But back to the All Blacks.  Back-line players Aaron Mauger, Joe Rokocoko and Conrad Smith each scored a brace, making the most of their minimal involvement in the game.

Moments of sporting splendour aside, it was an easy ride for the All Blacks who steam-rolled their opposition, scoring effortless tries throughout the match.

Rokocoko, who drew first blood for the All Blacks, would have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of space he was afforded en route to his second try in the 11th minute of the game.

The All Blacks took the quick line-out and Rokocoko was virtually untouched as he ran a good 55 meters before dotting down for the 40th try of his career.

The only try that required any real effort was Mauger's in the 29th minute.

The much-favoured All Blacks certainly didn't always look like a team unit, as a plethora of unforced errors characterized what was an anti-climactic first quarter for Jerry Collins' charges.

Two break-away tries by an inspired Rokocoko were all the disjointed All Blacks could offer in that particular period of play.

Fly-half Nick Evans struggled to take charge of his back-line early on -- nerves were always going to be factor for him.  As a result the All Black faithful got to see very little of both Mauger and Conrad Smith in midfield action.

The only positive aspect of the All Black game early on was their sheer dominance in the set-pieces, where they stole a fair share of the Portuguese line-outs.  The scrums were just an unfair contest altogether, with the All Black pack outweighing Os Lobos by over 100kg.

Portugal's top points scorer Goncalo Malheiro, who put on solid display, got Os Lobos onto the score-sheet with a well struck 21st minute drop-goal.  The cheer from the neutral fans in the crowd was deafening.

The complexion of the game soon changed however, as the All Blacks-even if only for a brief passage of play -- stepped into second gear, scoring six tries in fifteen minutes.

Portugal, who made a spirited start, went into to half-time with their backs firmly against the wall with the half-time score at 52-3 in favour of New Zealand.

Coach Tomaz Morais made some inspired half-time changes, as replacement hooker Rui Cordeiro scored the first Portuguese try of the game, after a determined forward pack pushed the All Blacks, far superior in size, backwards for several phases.

The stunned All Blacks responded in the only way they knew how when scrum-half Andrew Ellis exploited another gaping hole in the Portuguese defence to score his first All Black try.

The floodgates then opened as the All Black back-line shared seven more tries between them, two of which came from Smith -- who until that point in the game had barely touched the ball.

In all fairness Collins' team showed a lot more cohesion as the game wore on and Henry should be satisfied with what he saw.  He will now have the peace of mind knowing that he can call on anyone of his second-string to step-up to the plate should injuries develop in the knock-out stage of the tournament.

Man of the Match:  Jerry Collins displayed some sound leadership and performed consistently throughout the game.  It would have been tempting to award the man-of-the-match to Joe Rokocoko for his moments of brilliance.  Nick Evans was also a candidate with his 33 points on the afternoon.  But Collins was the only All Black that stood out for the whole game -- until he was substited of course.

Moment of the Match:  We talked about Portugal's try before, which is a clear winner, but the 29th minute Aaron Mauger try was absolutely brilliant and could have been scored against any of the world's leading rugby nations.  It all started with a good clean All Black line-out.  Thereafter we witnessed some superb handling from Chris Masoe, who off-loaded to Jerry Collins.  Collins off-loaded to Mauger, who finished in style.  A try worth watching over and over again.

Villain of the Match:  There was no villain really.  it was a clean game of rugby.

The scorers:

For New Zealand:
Tries:  Rokocoko 2, Toeava, Williams, Mauger 2, Collins, Masoe, Hore, Leonard, Evans, Ellis, Smith 2, MacDonald, Hayman
Cons:  Evans 14

For Portugal:
Try:  Cordeiro
Con:  Pinto
Pen:  Pinto
Drop goal:  Malheiro

New Zealand:  15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Isaia Toeava, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Aaron Mauger, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Sione Lauaki, 7 Chris Masoe, 6 Jerry Collins (c), 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Greg Somerville, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Neemia Tialata.
Replacements:  16 Anton Oliver, 17 Tony Woodcock, 18 Carl Hayman, 19 Rodney So'oialo, 20 Keven Mealamu, 21 Andy Ellis, 22 Leon MacDonald.

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 António Aguilar, 13 Miguel Portela, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Gonçalo Malheiro, 9 Luis Pissarra, 8 Vasco Uva (c), 7 Diogo Coutinho, 6 Paulo Murinello, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 Marcello d'Orey, 3 Ruben Spachuck, 2 João Correia, 1 Andre Silva.
Replacements:  16 Rui Cordeiro, 17 Joaquim Ferreira, 18 David Penalva, 19 Tiago Girão, 20 João Uva, 21 José Pinto, 22 Duarte Cardoso Pinto.

Referee:  Chris White
Touch judges:  Hugh Watkins, Marius Jonker
Television match official:  Dave Pearson
Assessor:  Bob Francis

Scotland gain patchy win

Scotland managed to gain all five points from their first Pool C match against World Cup debutantes Portugal on Sunday, in a 56-10 win.

Those who expected Portugal to wilt under the pressure of a side with significantly more World Cup experience than them were sorely mistaken.  Right from the anthems the signs pointed to a rousing display, full of courage and passion from the Portuguese.

Os Lobos positively belted their anthem out, while Scotland went about theirs in an altogether more sombre manner.  That was reflected in the way they played for large periods.  They did eventually run away with the game, but the performance will be of concern to coach Frank Hadden.

The early stages of this intriguing affair were dominated by Scotland, but too many basic errors cost them dear.  Many expected the floodgates to open early, but despite an early brace of neatly taken tries from the impressive Rory Lamont, Scotland found the going tough.

The opening try demonstrated Lamont's power, while his second was a show of his pace, having fended off the last defender to race away.  Both tries were converted and it seemed Scotland would kick on and rack up an impressive score.  But Portugal had other ideas, despite a third Scots try, from hooker Scott Lawson after a clever cross field kick by Dan Parks.

With the majority of the crowd firmly behind Portugal they were brought to life with the most popular score of the evening.  The crafty Duarte Cardoso Pinto, who impressed throughout, was able to free his arms in contact to find Pedro Carvalho who somehow squeezed his way over.  The joy of the Portugal players was unbridled and the score was no less than they deserved.

Conceding a try straight from the re-start showed the frailty of this Portuguese side, Rob Dewey the benefactor, and again all signs pointed to Scotland finally getting into their stride.  But again, back came the plucky Portuguese, and again they were rewarded again for their efforts.  With Jason White being a little over eager to break from a defensive scrum he afforded Pinto another shot at goal.  Again the little fly-half slotted the points.

A series of penalties, four in as many minutes, from Portugal resulted in a yellow card for João Uva as referee Steve Walsh finally lost patience.  The fact they did not concede a single point whilst a man down is a testament to their spirit, although some of the rugby played by Scotland in the same period was truly woeful.

Looking more relaxed with the ball in hand, and making their first time tackles count, Portugal frustrated Scotland for close to twenty second-half minutes.  Yet, as expected, their legs began to tire, and Scotland found the going somewhat easier as they added four tries in the closing quarter.

But Portugal were not without their chances during this period, the most notable wasted by Carvalho, who dropped the ball with a three-man overlap begging.  As it was they would fail to trouble the scorers again, not for the want of trying.

What will have pleased Tomás Morais is that his side did not simply gift Scotland tries.  Each and every second-half try was a result of concerted pressure, with the Portuguese back row prominent in defence, and captain Vasco Uva playing the game of his life.

If Scotland harbour serious quarter final ambitions they will need to play with more structure and less wild abandon than they did here.  Too often they tried to force the issue, not to mention failing to execute the basics of passing.  On several occasions they lost all momentum in their attacks through poor passing as players had to check their runs to take passes behind them.

Having played two warm-up games and spent the last three months together as a squad there is no excuse for such rudimentary errors.  Credit must go to the manner in which Portugal hounded the Scots;  their defence was tenacious, if what a little scrappy at times.

For Scotland the main objective was achieved, a bonus point victory, but they will leave for Edinburgh with much to ponder.  Portugal on the other hand emerge from a gruelling encounter with much credit and more than a few admirers of their passionate style.

Man of the match:  Whilst Rory Lamont impressed with a two-try performance this award goes to Portugal.  Despite a heavy defeat in their World Cup debut they had several star performers.  The best of them was captain Vasco Uva, who never stopped working in both attack and defence and was the epitome of the manner in which Portugal approached this game.  A superb display which inspired his team mates to follow suit.

Moment of the match:  Call us sentimental but it has to be Carvalho's try, the first ever by Portugal in Rugby World Cup history, and a much deserved one at that.

Villain of the match:  Nothing out of sorts from anybody, a good clean game.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  R.  Lamont 2, Lawson, Dewey, Parks, Southwell, Brown, Ford
Cons:  Parks 5, Paterson 3

For Portugal:
Try:  Carvalho
Con:  Pinto
Pen:  Pinto

Yellow card:  João Uva (Portugal -- 39th minute, repeated team infringements)

Scotland:  15 Rory Lamont, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Marcus Di Rollo, 12 Rob Dewey, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Mike Blair, 8 Simon Taylor 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Jason White (c), 5 Scott Murray, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Scott Lawson, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements:  16 Ross Ford, 17 Gavin Kerr, 18 Scott MacLeod, 19 Kelly Brown, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Chris Paterson, 22 Hugo Southwell.

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 David Mateus, 13 Federico Sousa, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Duarte Cardoso Pinto, 9 José Pinto, 8 Vasco Uva (c), 7 João Uva, 6 Juan Severino Somoza, 5 David Penalva, 4 Gonçalo Uva, 3 Ruben Spachuck, 2 Joaquim Ferreira, 1 Rui Cordeiro.
Replacements:  16 Juan Manuel Muré, 17 João Correia, 18 Paulo Murinello, 19 Diogo Coutinho, 20 Luis Pissarra, 21 Pedro Cabral, 22 Miguel Portela.

Referee:  Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges:  Marius Jonker (South Africa), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match official:  Dave Pearson (England)
Assessor:  Tappe Henning (South Africa)

Canada win in Ottawa

Canada beat Portugal 42-12 at Twin Elm Park in Nepean on Saturday.  It was a first Test between the two countries.

It was Portugal's second defeat of their tour after losing to a Canada Select 24-18 last Saturday.  Their next warm-up match is against Japan in Lisbon.  For the Portuguese this is all an exciting process, regardless of results.  After all they are preparing for their first World Cup ever.

DHT van der Merwe, the promising young wing, scored a hat-trick of tries for Canada Select against Portugal and another two for Canada.  Canada scored six tries to two.

But Portugal were willing and determined and scored early on through an intercept but the Canadians were too strong for the visitors, who were be the World Cup's most amateur team, in the second half.

Canada attacked from the start and from a set scrum the ball went wide to fullback Mike Pyke who scored.  5-0 after four minutes.

Then the Lobs shocked the home side when centre Diogo Mateus intercepted a pass from Canada's flyhalf Ryan Smith and ran some 60 metres to score a try which Pedro Cabral converted and Portugal led 7-5.

Canada got the lead back when James Pritchard goaled a penalty.  8-5 after 14 minutes.

Veteran prop Jon Thiel stretched and scored next when Canada mauled a post-penalty line-out.  Pritchard converted.  15-7 after 17 minutes.

On half-time Canada attacked and spun the ball wide to Van der Merwe who raced over in the corner.  20-7.

Early in the second half Pritchard goaled a second penalty, David Spicer scored a try and Van der Merwe scored his second try.  Then Ryan Smith broke well to send centre Craig Cupan speeding downfield before off-loading to replacement Justin Mensah-Coker who scored with his first touch of the ball.  It was a splendid long-range try.  42-7.

Portugal had the last word when they went slowly up the field and sent José Pinto over in the corner for the last try of the match.

Scorers:

For Canada:
Tries:  Pyke, Thiel, Van der Merwe 2, Mensah-Coker, Spicer
Cons:  Pritchard 3
Pens:  Pritchard 2

For Portugal
Tries:  Mateus, José Pinto
Con:  Pedro Leal

Teams

Canada:  15 Mike Pyke, 14 DTH van der Merwe, 13 Craig Culpan, 12 David Spicer, 11 James Pritchard, 10 Ryan Smith, 9 Ed Fairhurst, 8 Sean-Michael Stephen, 7 Adam Kleeberger, 6 Jamie Cudmore, 5 Mike James (captain), 4 Luke Tait, 3 Jon Thiel, 2 Pat Riordan, 1 Rod Snow
Replacements:  16 Aaron Carpenter, 17 Dan Pletch, 18 Mike Pletch, 19 Mike Burak, 20 Colin Yukes, 21 Matt Weingart, 22 Justin Mensah-Coker
Coach:  Ric Suggitt, John Tait, Glen Ella, Kevin Wirachowski

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 Antonio Aguilar, 13 Frederico Sousa, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Pedro Cabral, 9 Luis Pissarra, 8 Vasco Uva, 7 João Uva, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Juan Severino, 4 Goncalo Uva (captain), 3 Cristian Spacuhk, 2 Joaquain Ferreira, 1 Juan Murre
Replacements:  16.  Andre Silva, 17.  Joao Correia, 18.  David Penalva, 19.  Pedro Murinello, 20.  José Pinto, 21.  Duarte Pinto, 22.  Miguel Portela.
Coaches:  Tomas Morais

Referee:  Christophe Berdos (France)

One point takes Portugal to France

Portugal have become the last team to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.  It is their first time ever to do so but it took a thriller and in the end a single point was enough.

Uruguay who have been to the last two World Cups were their own worst enemies, paying the price for indiscipline.

Uruguay won the second leg of the World Cup qualifier in Montevideo 18-12 but Portugal had won the first leg 12-5.  They thus won overall 24-23.  By one point!  That point is enough to take the Lobos to France and means grave disappointment for the Teros who will stay at home.

In Lisbon Portugal had been leading 12-0 when Uruguay scored a last-minute try to make the score 12-5.  That meant that Portugal took a seven-point cushion to Montevideo.

On Saturday the Teros scored two tries, the Lobos none.

After just two minutes Uruguay had lock Juan Bado red-carded, sent off for foul play.  That meant that for almost all the match the Teros played with only 14 men.

Nonetheless Uruguay took the lead through penalties by Juan Menchaca and Diego Aguirre but then Portugal levelled matters with penalties by Duarte Pinto and Joao.  Then just before half time lock Marcelo Dorey was sent to the sin bin.

With Portugal down to 14 men at the start of the second half, Uruguay took an 11-6 lead with a try will Portugal scored two more penalties to lead 12-11 with 25 minutes to play -- 25 tense minutes.

The powerful Uruguayan pack mauled over the line for a try which took them to 18-12.  That gave Portugal there point overall lead but with 13 minutes to play, and that is how the score stayed as injury time dragged on and agonisingly on.

Scorers:

For Portugal:
Pens:  Duarte Pinto 4

For Uruguay:
Tries:  Crosa, Capo
Con:  Menchaca
Pens:  Menchaca, Aguirre

Teams:

Uruguay:  15 Juan Menchaca, 14 Juan Labat, 13 Diego Aguirre, 12 Joaquin Pastore, 11 Martín Crosa, 10 Sebastian Aguirre, 9 Juan Campomar, 8 Nicolas Brignoni, 7 Nicolas Grille, 6 Alfredo Giuria, 5 Rodrigo Capo, 4 Juan Bado, 3 Pablo Lemoine, 2 Juan Andres Perez, 1 Rodrigo Sanchez
Replacements:  16 Guillermo Storace, 17 Federico Capo, 18 Carlos Arboleya, 19 Juan Miguel Alvarez, 20 Rafael Alvarez, 21 Juan Martín Llovet, 22 Nicolas Morales
Coaches:  Nicolas Inciarte, Mario Lame

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 Diogo Gama, 13 Miguel Portela, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Duarte Pinto, 9 Luis Pissarra, 8 Vasco Uva, 7 Joao Uva, 6 Juan Serveriño, 5 Marcelo Dorey, 4 Gonzalo Uva, 3 Joaquin Ferreira, 2 Joao Correta, 1 André Lourenzo
Replacements:  16 Rui Cordeiro, 17 Duarte Figueredo, 18 David Penalva, 19 Diogo Coutinho, 20 Paulo Murinello, 21 José Pinto, 22 Goncalo Malheiro
Coach:  Tomaz Morais

Referee:  Tony Spreadbury
Touch judges:  Roy Maybank, Robin Goodliffe

Portugal one step away from France

Portugal beat Uruguay 12-5 in Lisbon to go ahead in the last qualifying round for the 2007 World Cup.  This was the first of two legs.

The two teams will meet again in Montevideo on 24 March.

This defeat certainly does not mean that Uruguay are out of the running.  They have top beat Portugal by eight points or more next time to go the World Cup again.

For Portugal there is the huge incentive of a first trip to the World Cup.

There was not score at half time at this match in Lisbon, though Duarte Pinto missed three penalty attempts for Portugal and Juan Menchaca two for Uruguay.

Portugal's first try came from an intercept and Pedro Carvalho raced 75 metres before feeding centre Diogo Gama to score under the posts.  Pedro Leal converted.

With ten minutes of the match left Portugal went through many phases before Diogo Countinho scored.

There were just three minutes left when captain Rodrigó Capo, scored Uruguay's final try.

Portugal's coach, Tomaz Morais, is reported by the IRB to have said afterwards:  "Seven points is nothing in rugby, we know that.  We need a good game in Uruguay, to play with courage and we will play with our style without fear.  We know with good defence and ball in hand we will have our chances because the two teams are very similar," Morais said.

"In terms of the game my players need good mentality and need to play for a win not a loss.  They need a win, whether by one, two or three points.  That is the mentality, not just to defend seven points.  To do that is stupid in my opinion."

Scorers:

For Portugal:
Tries:  Gama, Countinho
Con:  Leal

For Uruguay:
Try:  Capo

Teams:

The Portugal squad:
Forwards:  Joaquim Ferreira, João Correia, Gustavo Duarte, Duarte Figueiredo, André Silva, Gonçalo Uva, David Penalva, Marcello D'Orey, Juan Severin, João Uva, Paulo Murinello, Vasco Uva, Diogo Coutinho;
Backs:  Luís Pissarra, José Pinto, Gonçalo Malheiro, Cardoso Pinto, Diogo Gama, Miguel Portela, David Mateus, Pedro Carvalho, Pedro Leal

The Uruguay squad:
Forwards:  Sebastián Aguirre, Juan Miguel Álvarez, Carlos Arboleya, Juan Carlos Bado, Rodrigo Capó, Federico Capó, Pablo Lemoine, Juan Pérez, Carlos Protasi, Rodrigo Sánchez, Guillermo Storace
Backs:  Diego Aguirre, Rafael Álvarez, Matías Arocena, Nicolás Brignoni, Francisco Bulanti, Juan Campomar, Joaquín De Freitas, Alfredo Giuria ), Juan Labat, Juan Martín Llovet, Juan Menchaca, Joaquín Pastore, Hernán Ponte (Rouen)

Referee:  Donal Courtney (Ireland)
Touch judges:  George Clancy (Ireland), David Keane (Ireland)

Lobos just beat Leones in Lisboa

The Wolves of Portugal beat the Lions of Spain 21-18 at Estadio Universitário in Lisbon in the opening weekend of the European Nations Cup.

It is, in a sense, a good result for Spain for Portugal are on a roll after two RWC qualifier victories over Morocco and the possibility of another qualifying round with Uruguay.  Spain have had much less intense preparations with recently on a match with France Amateur which they lost 47-0.

Spain, a well-organised rugby nation, are just back in the European Nations Cup after being relegated.  Portugal are well established and in fact won the title the tournament before last.

There was not much between the two sides who each scored two tries.  In fact had Cesare Sempere goaled a penalty in injury time, Spain would have drawn the match.

At half-time Spain led 13-10.  But by then they had lost their experienced flyhalf Estaban Roqué, who was replaced by Ignacio Gutiérrez.

Scorers:

For Portugal:
Tries:  Diogo Mateus, Vasco Uva
Con:  Cardoso Pinto
Pens:  Cardoso Pinto 3

For Spain:
Tries:  Cidre 2
Con:  Roqué
Pens:  Roqué 2

Teams:

Portugal:  15 Pedro Cabral, 14 Francisco Mira, 13 Miguel Morais, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Duarte Cardoso Pinto, 9 Luis Pissarra, 8 Vasco Uva, 7 Joao Uva, 6 Juan Severino, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 Pedro Vieira, 3 Joaquim Ferreira, 2 Joao Correira,1 Rui Cordeiro
Replacements:  16 Duarte Gustavo, 17 Rodrigo Aguilar, 18 Diogo Coutinho, 19 Salvador Palha, 20 Filipe Saldanha, 21 José Pinto, 22 Hugo Melo

Spain:  15 Pedro Martín, 14 Juan Cano, 13 César Sempere, 12 Manuel Mazo, 11 Rafael Álvarez, 10 Esteban Roqué, 9 Pablo Feijóo, 8 Iván Criado, 7 Alfonso Mata, 6 Cyril Hijar, 5 Sergio Souto, 4 Guillermo Bárcena, 3 Javier Salazar, 2 Mathieu Cidre, 1 Jon Insausti
Replacements:  16 Diego Zarzosa, 17 Luís Cano, 18 Manuel Serrano, 19 David Hernández, 20 Igor Mirones, 21 Juan González, 22 Ignacio Gutiérrez

Referee:  Hervé Dubes (France)
Touch judges:  Didier Mene, Vincent Azoulay (both France)
Commissioner:  Alan Mansell (England)

Portugal now one step away

The Lobos of Portugal beat Morocco's Lions of the Atlas 16-15 in Lisbon to win the second leg of their World Cup qualifier and thus move a step closer to winning the final spot in France.

What a match!  Morocco arrived in Lisbon needing victory by six points or more.  It looked as if Portugal were home and dry but with a quarter of an hour to go Morocco got a converted try to pull back to a deficit of just one point.  One more converted try would see them on to the next round -- to play Uruguay.  It was not to be in those agonising last 15 minutes.

Morocco scored first.  After Portugal had missed a penalty attempt they goaled one to lead 3-0.  The Portuguese attacked, the Lions of the Atlas defended but were penalised and flyhalf Cardoso Pinto, who had scored all ten Portuguese points in their 10-5 first-leg victory, levelled the scores.

Captain and number eight Vasco Uva scored the try which put Portugal ahead -- 10-3 after Pinto's conversion.

That was the score at half-time.

Right from the kick-off for the second half the Moroccans attacked and made the most of a Portuguese attack to score a try.  10-8.

Penalties by Pinto made the score 16-8, and then Morocco's powerful pack drove a maul over the line for a try which Hicham Eziyar converted.  16-15 with a thrilling 15 minutes to play.

Portugal hung on and in fact had the chance to extend their lead but replacement Gonçalo Malheiro missed a penalty kick in injury time.  The final whistle sounded soon afterwards.

Portugal now play, home and away, against Uruguay in March.  The winner of that encounter will go to the 2007 World Cup and join a pool with New Zealand, Scotland, Italy and Romania.  Portugal have not before been to a World Cup.

For Portugal the Argentinian prop Cristian Spachuck was back from his neck injury but David Mateus was out with an injured thigh and veteran Antonio Aguilar, who plays for Mont-de-Marsan in France's Pro D2 was still out injured.

Morocco's Nassim Arif was unconvincing in the first leg and was replaced by Hicham Eziyar.  The forwards were reinforced by the return of Pau prop Mohamed Ben Bouhout.  Jalil Narjissi, the hooker and usual prop, was not down to play last week also but he played.  This week he is not down again as Agen have hooker problems -- not that the clubs prevent the players from playing in World Cup matches!

It was a great day of rugby at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon.  It started at 11 in the morning with the little ones before the climactic répechage match.

The scorers:

For Portugal:
Try:  Uva
Con:  Pinto
Pens:  Pinto 3

For Morocco:
Tries:  A.N Other, A.N Other
Con:  Eziyar
Pen:  Eziyar

The teams:

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 Pedro Carvalho, 13 Diogo Gama, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Miguel Portela, 10 Cardoso Pinto, 9 Luís Pissarra, 8 Vasco Uva (captain), 7 Juan Severino, 6 Paulo Murinello, 5 Marcello D'Orey, 4 Gonçalo Uva, 3 Rui Cordeiro, 2 João Correia, 1 Cristian Spachuk.

Morocco:  15 Ouajdi Mouhcine, 14 Tallavi, 13 Mihadji Tidjini, 12 Mouad Labbi, 11 Gharib Chahid, 10 Hicham Eziyar, 9 Kamal Essaoui, 8 Abdellatif Boutati (captain), 7 Faycal Boukhanoussa, 6 Housni Hicham, 5 Younes Ho, 4 Hamid Arif, 3 Mohamed Ben Bouhout, 2 Abdelkafi Abachri, 1 Mohamed Gouasmia.

Referee:  Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges:  Richard Hughes, Huw F Lewis (both Wales)

Georgia march to France

Win rewarding draw in Lisbon

Georgia and Portugal drew 11-all in Lisbon on Saturday in the last of Europe's World Cup qualifiers.

As Georgia won the first leg of this two-leg tie, they will be the ones going to France in 2007 for the Rugby World Cup.

All is not lost for Portugal as they now go into répechage and play Morocco for the right to play Uruguay.

Portugal had their moments in this match and actually achieved parity in possession but were intent on bashing up the middle when playing wider may have been wiser.  Their try came on the one occasion when they went wide.

Hooker Cristian Spachuk made the running down the right touch-line.  The ball came back wide to the left wing where centre Diogo Mateus scored.

The Georgian try was a soft one when Portuguese concentration lapsed near their own line, allowing veteran flank Grigol Labadze an easy run to the line.

Portugal missed three penalty kicks at goal.  There was no scoring at all in the second half.

Scorers:

For Portugal:
Try:  Mateus
Pens:  Malheiro 2

For Georgia:
Try:  Labadze
Pens:  Jimsheladze 2

Teams:

Georgia:  15 Teimuraz Sokhadze, 14 Irakli Machkhaneli, 13 Revaz Gigauri, 12 Irakli Giorgadze, 11 Besiki Khamashuridze, 10 Pavle Jimsheladze, 9 Irakli Abuseridze, 8 Besarion Udesiani, 7 Grigol Labadze, 6 Rati Urushadze, 5 Mamuka Gorgodze, 4 Ilia Zedginidze (captain), 3 David Zirakashvili, 2 Goderdzi Shvelidze, 1 David Khinchagashvili
Replacements:  16 George Kutarashvili, 17 Mamuka Magrakvelidze, 18 Levan Datunashvili, 19 Ilia Maisuradze, 20 Bidzina Samkharadze, 21 George Shkinin, 22 George Elizbarashvili

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 Pedro Carvalho, 13 Miguel Portela, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 António Aguilar, 10 Gonçalo Malheiro, 9 Luís Pissarra, 8 Vasco Uva (captain), 7 Paulo Murinello, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 Marcello D'Orey, 3 João Correia, 2 Cristian Spachuk, 1 Joaquim Ferreira
Replacements:  16 Rui Cordeiro, 17 David Penalva, 18 Juan Severino, 19 João Uva, 20 José Pinto, 21 Cardoso Pinto, 22 Frederico Sousa

Referee:  Tim Hayes (Wales)

Portugal sneak in

Last-gasp victory in Lisbon

Portugal's hopes of going to France next year are still alive, thanks to a last-minute try over Russia in Lisbon.

Portugal now face Georgia who beat Spain.  If Portugal win that they will head straight for France.  If they lose that they have to go into répechage.  There they will play the loser of the two-legged qualifier between Namibia and Morocco and then, if they win that, Uruguay.

Russia can no longer qualify.

Russia went 23-16 up with 15 minutes to go but, as time ran out, Portugal scored the try which may yet send them to France next year.  The try came with Portugal trailing 23-19.  Lock Marcelo D'Orey broke brilliantly to send inside cengtre Diogo Mateus in for the try.

Russia started off in splendid fashion when they grabbed a dropped pass and centre Andrey Kuzin scored the try.  5-0 after just two minutes.

Gonçalo Malheiro, whose error had led to the try, then goaled a penalty.  5-3, which Viktor Motorin cancelled out with a penalty goal.

From the kick-off, Portugal got on top and good teamwork brought a try for right wing António Aguilar, converted by Malheiro to give Portugal a 10-8 lead at half-time.

The lead did not last long in the second half for near the beginning No.8 Vyacheslav Grachev burst through to score.  Two penalties by Malheiro and one by Motorin were followed by Grachev's second try and Russia led 23-16 with 15 minutes to play.

Those 15 minutes belonged to Portugal.  First replacement Duarte Pinto reduced the lead to 23-19, to be followed then by all the drama of the finish.

Scorers:

For Portugal:
Tries:  Aguilar, Mateus
Cons:  Malheiro, Pinto
Pens:  Malheiro 3, Pinto

For Russia:
Tries:  Kuzin, Grachev 2
Con:  Motorin
Pens:  Motorin 2

Teams:

Portugal:  15 Pedro Leal, 14 António Aguilar, 13 Miguel Portela, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Pedro Carvalho, 10 Gonçalo Malheiro,8 Vasco Uva, 9 José Pinto, 7 Paulo Murinello, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Marcelo D’Orey, 4 Gonçalo Uva, 3 Joaquim Ferreira, 2 João Correia, 1 Cristian Spachuk or Rui Corderio
Replacements:  16 Cristian Spachuk or Rui Cordeiro, 17 Juan Severino, 18 Sebastião Cunha, 19 João Uva, 20 Luís Píssara, 21 Duarte Pinto, 22 João Diogo Mota or Gustavo Duarte

Russia:  15 Dmitriy Zubarev, 14 Mikhail Babaev, 13 Andrey Kuzin, 12 Konstantin Rachkov, 11 Vladimir Ostroushko, 10 Alexey Korobeynikov, 9 Viktor Motorin, 8 Vyacheslav Grachev, 7 Artem Fatahov, 6 Aleksey Sarychev, 5 Kiril Kulemin, 4 Sergey Sergeev, 3 Victor Zdanovich, 2 Roman Romak, 1 Alexander Khrokin,
Replacements (from):  Oleg Shukaylov, Vladimir Marchenko, Valery Fedchenko, Vladislav Korshunov, Aleksandr Shakirov, Yury Kushnarev, Sergey Belousov, Ivan Prishchepenko, Victor Gresev

Referee:  Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)