After a close 16-16 draw in the final match of the Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai, Os Lobos became the 20th team to earn a spot at Rugby World Cup 2023.
With a 16-16 draw against the USA in the final match of the Final Qualification Tournament, Portugal became the 20th team to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
Due to their superior point differential, Os Lobos needed only a draw to advance to a second Rugby World Cup, which Samuel Marques secured with the final kick of the game at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.
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This means that Portugal will join Wales, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia in Pool C at the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
“It’s difficult to make sense of, it’s perhaps of the best inclination on the planet,” Portugal chief Tomás Appleton said. “This is incredible for the rugby community; we have been absent from the Rugby World Cup for some time, and we require a new generation to inspire the youngsters.
Earlier on Friday, Hong Kong defeated Kenya 22-18 and moved up to third place in the standings with a second-half comeback.
Portugal stun USA
The USA took the lead in Dubai after AJ MacGinty scored a penalty kick in the third minute that went through the uprights. The USA had only failed to qualify for one Rugby World Cup before, in 1995 in South Africa.
However, they soon lost winger Nate Augspurger to the penalty box, and Portugal responded by scoring the match’s first try.
Raffaele Storti, a winger, received a pass from Nuno Sousa Guedes wide on the right and cut back inside to take advantage of the space Augspurger had left and sprinted over the goal line. Os Lobos took a four-point lead thanks to Marques’ conversion.
Until Portugal center José Lima received a yellow card in the 21st minute when MacGinty converted the penalty, the score remained that way.
The Bristol Bears flyhalf missed a try from the tee that would have given his team the lead on the half-hour mark, which is unusual.
MacGinty rediscovered his reach on the stroke of half-time, be that as it may, answering a prior fruitful Marques punishment to make the score 10-9 in operating system Lobos’ approval at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half, Marques extended Portugal’s lead by four points, but he did so in between two missed kicks that would have increased their advantage.
Kapeli Pifeleti Jr. burrowed over from close range on the hour mark, making Os Lobos pay for their waste.
The try gave the USA its first lead since the eighth minute, which MacGinty converted routinely to make it 16-13. Additionally, Os Lobos sent prop Francisco Fernandes to the sin bin for an earlier offense, but he did not score while he was off the field.
However, Marques stepped up to provide Portugal with the necessary draw with the match’s final kick to advance to RWC 2023.
Hong Kong comeback seals third
Hong Kong overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Kenya 22-18 and claim third place, led by debutant Jak Lam’s try.
Even though neither team could qualify for the Rugby World Cup 2023 after losing their first two matches at The Sevens Stadium, the effort put forth did not change. To know more about Wales Vs Portugal Tickets click here.
The Simbas took the lead after Hong Kong winger Matthew Worley was sent to the bench and Kenya fly-half Geoffrey Ominde missed an initial penalty attempt.
The Hong Kong center broke through a gap in the defense to score the first try, but Ominde missed the conversion again.
As a result, Hong Kong, which was 11 places above Kenya in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings powered by Capgemini before kickoff, was able to score first in the 18th minute when number eight Luke van der Smit crossed and Gregor McNeish converted.
Ten minutes later, Worley thought he had scored a second Hong Kong try, but his effort was disallowed due to a foot in touch.
Kenya became the half-owner at that point. Minutes later, Ominde converted a well-worked try by Jacob Ojee and added a penalty to increase the Simbas’ lead to eight points.
The Simbas capitalized on a second Ominde penalty to take an 18-7 lead at halftime after Hong Kong was reduced to 14 players for the second time after fullback Nathan De Thierry was penalized.
However, Hong Kong started the second half strongly despite their numerical disadvantage, and McNeish converted Sean Taylor’s try to reduce their deficit to one point.
Kenya thought they had conceded a third try when they lost flyhalf Ominde in the 54th minute, but Worley’s attempt was again disallowed at the lineout for offside.
Before scrum-half Bryn Phillips became the third Hong Kong player to receive a yellow card, Darwin Mukidze missed a penalty that would have extended Kenya’s lead.
However, in his absence, Hong Kong scored when replacement hooker Lam pounced on a lineout drive to score his first international try less than four minutes after making his debut and earning his first cap.
Kenya had some late offensive possession, but a knock-on cost them as they drove toward the goal, ending the game and confirming Hong Kong’s victory.
Portugal qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023
After earning a 16-16 draw with the USA in the Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai, Portugal will advance to the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
Os Lobos were able to advance to the second Rugby World Cup thanks to the draw, which was sufficient for their superior point differential in the table. Additionally, Samuel Marques’ last-gasp kick earned it.
At the Rugby World Cup 2023, Portugal joins Wales, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia in Pool C.
Are you interested in learning more about the Portuguese trip? The following feature in the most recent issue of Rugby World magazine, which can be purchased now, provides a comprehensive account of Os Lobos’ journey toward the World Cup.
The dream had vanished. The Portuguese team was outplayed by their Iberian rivals. Os Lobos (The Wolves) saw their ticket to the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France ripped up in front of a jubilant Madrid crowd.
Patrice Lagisquet, the head coach, felt compelled to apologize to his players following the incident. The former France wing popularly referred to as the “Bayonne Express,” felt he hadn’t given his players enough energy in the buildup with the ultimate prize at stake. Lagisquet felt completely battered by the sudden death of a dear friend the week before.
The one-time Les Bleus partner likewise had a head loaded with ‘what uncertainties’ and ‘if onlys’ about different games Portugal played in the Rugby Europe Title rivalry that served as World Cup spot deciders. They were only awarded four points rather than five for a Russian fixture that was abandoned. He agonized, but maybe it wouldn’t have come down to a shootout with Spain in their backyard if he had just considered the bigger picture and a bonus point here, a different effort there. Regarding the results, the coach says, “I felt guilty.”
However, as we are all aware, Spain’s World Cup qualifying team fell apart when it was discovered that they had fielded an ineligible player, Gavin van den Berg, against the Netherlands. Portugal received a second chance after Los Leones were promptly eliminated, with Romania taking their place in Pool B.
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