FC Grenoble and Portugal player

Being a second row for Portugal, the life in Grenoble, and the goals for the World Cup. Linha de Ensaio had the pleasure of talking with the great José Madeira.

How did you start playing rugby? How old were you?

I started playing when I was 7-8 years old, in Belenenses. I had just watched on TV Portugal play in the World Cup in 2007 and decided that I wanted to try.

You moved from Belenenses to Grenoble. How did that happen?

Shortly after my debut for Portugal, we played a Rugby Europe Championship match in Paris, against Georgia. It acted as a showroom for some of the French teams and shortly after I received an invitation from Grenoble. I also had some help from some of our coaches who had contacts in some of the French clubs.

When you went to France, you joined the Espoirs squad but quickly moved to the main team. How did that happen? And how did it feel to become a professional rugby player?

When I moved to Grenoble, I was told that I was going to do the pre-season with the main team but that I would divide my time between them and the Espoirs. However, they told me that I was going to stay in the main team only and I never left. It was a first year full of emotion and I really loved becoming a professional rugby player.

Things are going really well this season: the team is in the playoff places and you were given a new contract (three more years). What are your ambitions for the rest of the season?

At the beginning of the season we said that our goal was to reach the playoffs, something we failed to do last season. ProD2 is a really long and competitive league and it’s not unusual having to wait until the very last round to know who’s qualified. We have to remained focused if we want to reach that goal.

Do you want to carry on playing in France or would you like to try other leagues?

Right now, my future is here in France. I don’t want to say that I won’t play elsewhere but I’m happy with how things are at the moment.

Regarding the Lobos, you qualified in a crazy, crazy match. Can you describe how you felt during those final 5 minutes (defensive scrum in our 5m line, Jerónimo’s drop goal that hit the post and the Samuel’s penalty)?

During that time I was talking to other players and, in my head, there wasn’t a single doubt that we were going to score (even when we had that defensive 5m scrum). It may sound a bit cocky but we were really convinced we were going to Dubai to qualify for the World Cup and we did it!

What are the goals for the World Cup?

We haven’t defined that as a team but everyone’s ambition is to do better than the Generation of 2007 and win at least one match. We often say that we want to leave the jersey in a better place than where we found it and that is out ambition.

 

With the World Cup being played in France where there is a large Portuguese community and where several players are, do you think that Portugal will have the “home advantage”? What are your expectations?

I hope to see packed stadiums and a wave of support similar to the one in 2007. Because of all those factors that you mentioned and the way we qualified, I think that’s what’s gonna happen.

From the teams in the pool stage (Wales, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia) who would you like to swap jerseys with? Why?

I’ve always liked to watch Wales in the 6 Nations and I will have to choose their captain – the mythical Alun Wyn Jones – especially because we play in the same position.

Portugal has grown and quite a lot in the past few years (promotion to the REC, qualification for the World Cup, good matches against Japan and Italy, creation of the franchise Lusitanos). What do you think that is missing for Portugal to become a “regular” in World Cups and for the sport to grow even more in the country?

I think that we have to make our national league as competitive as possible, both in the men’s and women’s game. It is also important to make the sport professional as it’s the only way for us to be able to compete with the other countries. It is also very important to take the sport to the highest possible number of teenagers and children around the country, so that we can increase the sport’s visibility and attract more players.

What does your future look like? Do you want to come back to Portugal at some point? Maybe work in a different area?

I hope to come back to Portugal at some point and play for my old club (Belenenses). I don’t know if I’ll work in another area – I think that we are constantly evolving and changing as individuals and what I want to do now might now be what I’ll want to do tomorrow.