All of Portugal is with you!
This is what Raffaele Storti told Samuel Marques, hero of the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification, before the momentous kick.
To be an international class kicker you need nerves of steel and well-developed technique. Samuel Marques showed he had both by converting a last-second penalty to secure a place at Rugby World Cup 2023 as winners of the Final Qualification Tournament.
The scrumhalf has been a regular source of points for his country since he returned in 2021 after being away for eight years, although none as fundamental as the one he scored against the United States with time served in Dubai last Friday.
A word to the wise
Until 32-year-old Marques stepped up to level the score at 16-16, Portugal faced the prospect of another Rugby World Cup passing them by.
Some of his teammates didn’t dare look as he lined up the kick, and others couldn’t look away from the career-defining moment. For Raffaele Storti, whose try-scoring exploits have been so influential in helping Portugal reach France next year, it was a mix of both emotions, but he was definitely not at a loss for words.
“I couldn’t stop looking for a second. “I was so excited and nervous at the same time that I went to see Sam and told him that all of Portugal was counting on him,” the winger revealed.
“It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say, since he already had enough pressure to handle, but it just slipped out, I said it without even thinking.
“Fortunately, he is a player with a lot of experience and knows how to handle pressure well.”
Qualification for a second Rugby World Cup looked unlikely when the USA, leading by three points, were five meters behind Portugal’s line with five minutes remaining.
At that point, Kapeli Pifeleti canceled out an early Storti try and US captain AJ MacGinty scored three penalties to Marques’ two for a 16-13 lead.
But Portugal, and Marqués in particular, held their nerve to take their place in Group C alongside Wales, Australia, Fiji and Georgia in next year’s tournament.
“Personally, I am very excited about the World Cup, especially because we will have the opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world, with a lot of visibility. “This will allow us to show all our qualities, individually and as a team, which I am sure will surprise many rugby fans,” Storti added.
“Finally having the opportunity to compete against these “giants” in such big stadiums, full of Portuguese fans, is what we fought for. We will have the opportunity to show all our qualities and, hopefully, delight our fans with victories.”
Key objective
Storti, who has scored 13 tries in 18 tests, insists that Portugal will not go to France to be another qualifier, with automatic qualification to Rugby World Cup 2027 available for the top three in the group the big goal.
“We are clearly the underdog of the group, as we are not even a fully professional team. However, we are not thinking about that, we are going to think game by game and prepare for each game as if it were a final and give our best.
“We have already shown that we are a competitive team that can also play positive rugby against the best teams.”
“Examples of this were our draw against Georgia in Tbilisi in the Six Nations B (European Rugby Championship) in 2022 or the narrow defeat against Japan in 2021.”
“We don’t go to the Rugby World Cup just to have fun; “We have objectives and third place is the main one.”
Qualifying for their first World Cup since 2007 and their second was celebrated in grand style before returning to Portugal where they received a heroes’ welcome.
«It was unforgettable; I had never seen the team so happy,” said Storti, about the end of the game.
“In Dubai, we all celebrated together, staff and players, and it was a lot of fun. It was clear that we had become more than a team over the years, but we really are good friends.”
A new age
When Storti joined the Portuguese senior team in 2019 as a product of the country’s successful M20 team, Os Lobos were still in the third tier of Rugby Europe’s competition structure.
The following year they won promotion to the Rugby Europe Championship and began to become a force again under Patrice Lagisquet.
Lagisquet’s appointment was a masterstroke and Storti credits the former France wing for setting a clear direction for the team and gaining everyone’s support.
«Before Patrice arrived, the national team was not competitive and did not have an ambitious enough goal for the players to focus 100%.»
“As rugby is amateur in Portugal, the players had other jobs and priorities. Furthermore, some of the professional players playing abroad did not want to run the risk of getting injured or being ignored by their clubs, opting not to represent Portugal.»
«However, with the arrival of the new staff and the promotion of Portugal to Six Nations B, a new goal and hope emerged: qualification for Rugby World Cup 2023.»
“Patrice, not only brought a lot of knowledge and experience to the group, but also different rules and demands from the players.
“In my opinion, it was this collective ambition, together with the new experience brought by the new staff (Lagisquet, Herve Durquety, João Mirra, Luis Pissarra) that were the keys to our success.”