World Cup Qualifiers – Women’s 7s
Portugal was in Bucharest to participate in the 7s World Cup Qualifiers.
Written by: Nuno Madeira do O
Due to the third place obtained in the Rugby Europe Trophy, Portugal had qualified for the World Cup Qualifiers. However, a tough task lied ahead with the current European Champions (Poland) and the current bronze medal holders (Spain) on their way.
Portugal v Poland
The first match of the day (and of the tournament) saw Portugal facing the current European Champions – Poland. Perhaps due to their opponents’ credentials, Portugal started the game nervous and, with 30 seconds of play, following a line out, handed the ball to the Polish players that scored the first try of the match.
Motivated by the early score, Poland played a rugby full of supporting lines, with constant offloads that made life very hard for the Portuguese defence. With four minutes to play in the first half, Poland scored two tries in 30 seconds and pushed the scoreboard to 0-19.
Before half-time, and when Portugal tried to attack, Poland recovered the ball and, with the clock on zero, scored their fourth try. At half-time, the scoreboard showed 0-26 and the statistics showed that Portugal hadn’t cross the half-way line.
Despite a very early Polish try (due to a missed tackle in the centre of the pitch), the second half had a different tone to it with Portugal attacking more and having more ball. Their first attempt to progress on the pitch almost ended up in a try but the ball went over the dead ball area.
However, with three and a half minutes to play, Mariana Santos received the ball on the left wing and found enough space to run until the try line and score the first points to Portugal. With 5-33 on the scoreboard, Portugal played better and tried to narrow the gap in the score but with no avail.
The match ended like it had started: line out for Portugal with the ball ended in Polish hands that, with Portugal with an offensive mindset, found it easy to find a gap to score their last try. Final score, 5-40.
Portugal v Spain
In the second match of the day, Portugal faced Spain, the team that had won the bronze medal in this year’s edition of the Rugby Europe Championship.
Spain started the game on top and scored their first try inside the first two minutes. Portugal couldn’t answer back and, thirty seconds later, Spain scored their second try, also on the right wing. They didn’t convert and the scoreboard showed 0-12 with four minutes to play in the first half.
Portugal was struggling to cross the half-way line and with two minutes to play, Spain won a scrum and scored their third try. However, with the clock on zero, Mariana Santos got the ball on the left wing and after running for 40 metres, managed to score, putting things to 5-17 at the break.
Portugal started the second half with more ball but, against the grain, Spain scored their fourth try. Two (excellent) side-steps, saw off two Portuguese defenders and created the chance for an unopposed try. Portugal answered straightaway and Mariana Marques scored on the right wing, following a good individual effort. Try not converted and 10-24 on the scoreboard.
After Portugal’s second try, Spain upped the pressure and scored twice more. The final score was 10-38, in favour of Spain.
Portugal v Sweden
Portugal’s last match in pool stage was against Sweden, a team that João Moura’s team knew very well after playing them four times in the two stages of the Rugby Europe Trophy. A victory would put Portugal in the quarter-finals and in the chase for a place in South Africa.
Portugal started the match with a lot of attitude and willingness to show that they deserved to be there in the first place but it took them until the third minute to score the first try: scrum in the centre of the pitch and the captain Daniela Correia with a great run to score. Isabel Ozório added the extras and Portugal was in the lead.
Sweden answered back straightaway and scored on the left wing, reducing Portugal’s advantage to two points only. With the clock on zero, Maria João Costa scored Portugal’s second try with the ball going through all players, in a very solid rugby, with no chances for the Swedish defence. At the break, Portugal led by 14-5.
The second half would have more tries than the first one. It started with Isabel Ozório that attracted two opponents in the centre of the pitch before passing to Matilde Goes on the left wing. The Portuguese number 6 ran more than half the pitch and scored comfortably.
The match was quite frantic and Sweden scored soon after the kick-off, despite Portugal’s defensive efforts. 19-10 with three minutes to play. Portugal answered in similar fashion and Mariana Santos had a 50-metre run to score Portugal’s fourth try (third one of the competition).
Before the final whistle, there was still time for Leonor Amaral to put her name down as a try scorer and for Inês Spínola to add the extras. Final score: Portugal 33, Sweden 10.
With this win, Portugal progressed to the quarter-finals and, if they could beat Ireland, they were in the World Cup.
Portugal v Ireland
The deciding match for Portugal was against one of the powerhouses of rugby 7s in the world, Ireland.
They started the game strong, attacking from the very beginning but Portugal defended really well and managed to stop everything the Irish threw at them. The resistance lasted almost three minutes when the Irish players managed to find a gap and score their first try (0-7).
Portugal didn’t give up but Ireland played a very well-rounded rugby, with constant offloads, and would score again with three minutes left on the clock (0-14). Portugal finished the first half attacking but didn’t manage to convert ball possession into points and it was Ireland who scored again, with the clock on zero. At the break, 0-21.
The second half started with Portugal on top, playing very good rugby but the Irish defence was very strong and didn’t allow for many gaps. Until the end of the match, Ireland would score twice more, setting the final score to 0-31.
Despite the score, this was probably Portugal’s best match of the tournament, against a team that conceded a total of zero (!) points during the whole competition. All the players, coaching team and Rugby Union should be proud of Portugal’s participation in this tournament.
Linha de Ensaio spoke with the captain Daniela Correia about the tournament:
Third place in Pool C, a qualification for the quarter finals, and a foot in South Africa. What are your thoughts on this tournament?
We were unlucky with our pool where we had to face the European champions. We struggled in the match with Poland and we could never adapt to their intensity and rhythm of play. Our second match was a bit better but we were faced with a Spanish team, with a lot of routines and substantially more experience than our team.
The second day was better, we had defined, as an objective, to be one of the best third placed teams and the match against Sweden was our chance to do it. We knew exactly what we had to do and we managed to accomplish what we set ourselves to do, scoring five tries. We let them score twice but we knew we were going to win.
The quarter-finals match was the one we were most scared of. We were going to face Ireland that is “out of this world” and we did our best and gave it all. However, in this match, we felt the difference between the elite teams and ours.
Do you feel frustrated for not going to the World Cup or happy for being able to get to this stage?
We can’t be happy about not qualifying but we know about how hard it was going to be and the difference between Portugal and some of the teams we were going to face. We are athletes and we always aim for the best place possible but this time we couldn’t do it. So close, yet so far…
It’s a good time to look at the teams that qualified, understand what kind of support they have behind them and how they help their players.
What do you think that was missing for Portugal to get to the World Cup?
I think that there were three things missing for us to go to the World Cup in the near future: physical endurance, experience, and having semi-professional players. We need to create the infrastructure for players to be able to train more often, play more often and put rugby ahead of other activities.
Based on the last two Trophy matches and this tournament, what do you think that the future for this Portuguese team looks like?
These past three tournaments, we had a few young, and very talented players joining the squad. If we add this to the things I mentioned before, I don’t doubt that we will stay in the Championship and place in the top-6. The best is yet to come for us.
This was your latch match for the 7s Portuguese team. Is there anything you can say?
I’d like to thank for everything that I lived in these past 12 years during which I was representing my country. Rugby Union, physio staff, other players, coaches. I don’t have any regrets and I am very proud of what I achieved. It was a true privilege to wear this jersey.
It’s the end of an era and I think that I managed to teach our younger players what it means to represent Portugal and I feel that I left the jersey in a place as good as where I found it.
