The Portugal rugby team will make its debut this Saturday at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France against Wales. This will be Wolves’ second appearance in the sport’s biggest international competition, following their 2007 appearance in the same country.
After participating 16 years ago, Portugal are still hoping for their first World Cup win, but will face a historic nation in the sport, ranked eighth in the world rugby rankings, in which Portugal are ranked 16th.
Moreover, the difference in rankings helps explain why the two European teams have only met once in their history, given that in rugby the opportunities for “Tier 2”, “Tier 2” and “Tier 3” teams are most powerful.
When they met in Lisbon in 1994, the Welsh inflicted a 102–11 defeat on Portugal, which remained the heaviest in Portuguese rugby history until Wolves’ 2007 World Cup defeat to New Zealand. the score is 108-13.
The goal of achieving a first World Cup win is therefore a daunting one, with the Portugal coach even admitting on Thursday that it “maybe only with a lot of luck” can be achieved this Saturday against the Welsh.
The 2023 Rugby World Cup in France runs until October 28.