15 years later, Portugal returns to the Rugby World Cup.

Written by: Nuno Madeira do O

The best part: Everything. From the beginning to the end. The try we scored, the penalties too – even the ones we missed, the drop goal on the 80^th minute that hit the post and almost gave a heart attack to those who were already suffering from high blood pressure. The penalty that spelled the word “history” as the ball travelled in the air. The chants of “Portugal, Portugal, Portugal” of those who had the privilege of watching this dream come true live. The happiness of players, coaches, directors and fans all around the world. In a nutshell, Portuguese rugby.

The not-so-good part: I had a thing or two to write but, today, it doesn’t matter – we are going to the World Cup!

Player of the match: Samuel Marques. Once again, he was the maestro of this Portuguese team. Besides scoring the final penalty, he was a paramount cog in the Lobos offensive manoeuvre. When Portugal was “buried” inside its 22, his box kicks were crucial to give the team some breathing room and, in a lot of cases, gain a lot of metres on the pitch.

It was the “all or nothing” match to Portugal and the Lobos delivered. The Coach Patrice Lagisquet had picked a starting XV very similar to the one that started the match against Hong Kong. The only difference was that Thibault de Freitas started at number 8, with Rafael Simões moving to openside instead of the injured David Wallis.

The match started with the United States gaining advantage through a penalty that AJ MacGinty slotted easily. The two teams seemed (justifiably) nervous but Portugal didn’t let that speedbump affect it. At the 6^th minute, Nate Augspurger saw a yellow card due to a late tackle and, two minutes later, Portugal scored the first try of the match: Nuno Sousa Guedes with (yet another) amazing carry, beating several defenders before passing to Raffaele Storti that scored on the right wing. Samuel Marques converted the try and Portugal was leading, 7-3.

On the pitch, the rugby was a bit clumsy, mostly due to the high humidity of Dubai, that made the ball almost impossible to catch, causing several knock-ons for both teams. The United States had more territory and scored another penalty on the 22^nd minute (7-6) with José Lima receiving a yellow card (50^th cap for the centre).

It was a very tight match: the United States had more territory but Portugal defended very well and they couldn’t score. MacGinty missed a penalty on the 31^st minute and Samuel Marques scored one, six minutes later, moving the scoreboard to 10-6. However, with the clock on red, MacGinty scored another three points and, at the break, it was 10-9 for Portugal.

Portugal started the second half on top, more dominant, and playing the fast-paced rugby that is its staple. It failed to score a try but gained three penalties: 47^th minute (missed), 50^th minute (scored), and 54^th minutes (also missed).

With the scoreboard on 13-9, the United States increased the pressure and eventually scored a try. Line out on the right side, several offensive phases with powerful pick and gos and eventually the hooker Kapeli Pifeleti crossing the try line. Conversion by MacGinty and Portugal was down 13-16. To add assault to injury, Francisco Fernandes saw a yellow card and the team was temporarily down to 14 men.

The last 20 minutes were nerve-wracking. Portugal attacked and gained territory but couldn’t score. The United States defended any way they could and were trying to gain another penalty so that MacGinty could give them another three points. At the 75th minute, everyone thought that Portugal was going to have an offensive scrum on the 5m line but the referee, somehow, figured a knock-on at the beginning of the play. The momentum had shifted and Portugal was back inside its 22.

However, the best was yet to come. Portugal knew that the draw was enough to qualify as it had a better point difference than the US and was looking for the magic penalty to make that happen. Samuel Marques was calling the forwards to the fray and, little by little, Portugal was making territorial gains. With a penalty advantage, Jerónimo Portela tried a drop goal, some 50m away from the posts. The whole country held its breath as the ball travelled the air until it… hit the post.

Frustration all around but there was a penalty to be kicked. Samuel Marques had the weight of the country’s dreams on his shoulders (and right foot). He looked down field, assessing the distance. Took a deep breath. Ran and kicked Portugal all the way to the World Cup.

See you soon, France – the Lobos are coming.