E-mail Article Print-Friendly Version Contact Us Subscribe to RSS Feed

Preview: Portugal v Romania

Will the Portuguese fans have reason to cheer in Toulouse?

The battle of the Pool C underdogs will see Romania take on Portugal in Toulouse on Tuesday, as both sides seek their maiden win at this World Cup.

The Portuguese have demonstrated their want to play attacking rugby and will not alter their style for this game. Their opening three games have, in their defence, been as tough as they come in your first ever World Cup. But now they have their most realistic chance of a win, and it will be interesting to see how they go about attaining a historic victory.

A game built around team spirit, and the will to work for each other, has seen them score tries against Scotland, New Zealand and Italy. They know that to beat Romania they will need to keep scoring tries, therefore they must avoid being sucked into a hard-fought physical battle around the fringes.

The half-back pairing of Duarte Cardoso Pinto and José Pinto have proved they are vital to the Portuguese way of rugby. José provides a raw attacking element in his game that has developed on the biggest stage, while Duarte Cardoso controls the game with aplomb, and keeps defences on their toes with his jinking darts.

Portugal will need to be aware that it will take more than just two players to pull them through and win this one. What has helped them through the last three games is their unity, and all 22 players picked will need to stand up and be counted again on Tuesday. If they fail to do so the huge Romania forwards will first crowbar the cracks, and then come charging through them with gay abandon.

We have seen that, given half a chance, Portugal will stay in the game and frustrate their opposition with dogged defence and enterprising attack. Romania are a side who can become quickly frustrated, and when they do so their limited rugby ability is thrown out of the window. They will do well then to remain calm and focus on their own game.

The Oaks are unlikely to change their tactic, as they will fancy their robust and direct approach will do for Portugal where it has failed thus far. What will be interesting to see is: if Portugal can live with the ferocity of the forward battle, will Romania be able to change tactic mid-game? It is something they have failed to do so far, and you sense it is something they need the ability to do if they are to beat Portugal.

The introduction of Dan Dumbrava at fly-half suggests head coach Daniel Santamans has recognised the need for an added dimension to their game. Until now the Romanians have been stubborn in their one-dimensional approach, which is predictable and often easy to defend against.

Changes have been made in the Romanian pack to ensure the direct approach is buoyed by fresh legs and extra muscle. The Oaks will not take kindly to Portugal dictating the game to them, the veterans of four World Cups against the newcomers. For once Romania will see themselves as the more experienced team, the side who will be fancied to take this one.

The fact the rugby world will see Portugal as favourites, courtesy of their attacking flair, will only add fuel to the Oak pyre. Pray then for small mercies that this will be the added motivation needed to spark an otherwise dull side into imaginative action.

Portugal have captivated the imagination of everyone with their unique approach to the tournament, while, for their part, Romania have practically drained the life from everyone with their approach. Let us hope then that this game will see the Oaks awake from their slumber, and Os Lobos to go hunting in the pack for their maiden Rugby World Cup win.

One to Watch:

For Portugal: In their final match of what has been a most memorable World Cup, Portugal will need huge performances from one to twenty-two. With captain Vasco Uva ruled out with injury it will be interesting to see how his understudy, Tiago Girão, goes. But it is the half-back pairing of Duarte Cardoso Pinto and José Pinto who you will want to watch. If Portugal are to realise their dream of a win at the World Cup these two will need to be at their peak. José Pinto turned in a man of the match performance last time out and will hope he has one more big performance in his tiring legs, while Duarte Cardoso Pinto has been a real livewire at fly-half and will surely cause Romania problems with his trickery.

For Romania: Two games and two defeats with the same fifteen and Daniel Santamans has now rung the changes. So what fresh blood will you want to watch? The two new boys in the front row, Razvan Mavrodin and Cezar Popescu, will be worth looking out for. Mavrodin in particular will need a big effort to surpass the marker already laid down by Marius Tincu. The main man to look out for will be new fly-half Dan Dumbrava though. He will be charged with the task of getting the Oaks back line to fire, something his predecessor Ionut Dimofte failed to do. If he, too, can not manage to do so then Romania will again fail to build any kind of game.

Head to Head: Portugal have shown plenty of attacking intent thus far, whereas Romania have opted for the direct approach. So you feel the side who can implement their gameplan in the most effective manner will win this. Therefore the battle of the front rows will be crucial here. Portugal will need their trio to hold steady and provide an attacking platform for their exciting back line, while Romania will look to their trio to cause havoc in the tight. An intriguing battle it will be, and one that will have a significant bearing on the game.

Previous results:

2006: Romania won 27-3, Universitario Lisboa
2005: Romania won 14-10, Stadionul Ghencea II
2004: Romania won 36-6, Stade 1 Mai
2003: Portugal won 16-15, Universitario Lisboa
2002: Romania won 44-17, Dinamo Stadion
2001: Romania won 47-0, Universitario Lisboa
2000: Romania won 33-3, Dinamo Stadion
1996: Romania won 92-0, Dinamo Stadion
1993: Romania won 41-13, Universitario Lisboa
1986: Romania won 43-7, Unknown venue
1986: Romania won 34-14, Unknown venue
1967: Romania won 46-6, Universitario Lisboa

Prediction: Quite how this come will turn out is tricky to call. On the basis of what has gone before you would say Portugal, but Romania will know they are in with a sniff here and will raise their game accordingly. You feel though that Portugal will have too much attacking flair in the backs to allow Romania to shatter their dream. Portugal by 8.

Portugal: 15 Pedro Leal, 14 António Aguilar, 13 Federico Sousa, 12 Diogo Mateus, 11 Miguel Portela, 10 Duarte Cardoso Pinto, 9 José Pinto, 8 Tiago Girão, 7 João Uva, 6 Diogo Coutinho, 5 Gonçalo Uva, 4 David Penalva, 3 Ruben Spachuck, 2 Joaquim Ferreira (c), 1 Rui Cordeiro.
Replacements: 16 João Correia, 17 Juan Manuel Muré, 18 Paulo Murinello, 19 Salvador Palha, 20 Luis Pissarra, 21 Gonçalo Malheiro, 22 Pedro Carvalho.

Romania: 15 Iulian Dumitras, 14 Catalin Nicolae, 13 Ionut Dimofte, 12 Romeo Gontineac, 11 Catalin Fercu, 10 Dan Dumbrava, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Ovidiu Tonita (c), 7 Alexandru Manta, 6 Alexandru Tudori, 5 Cristian Petre, 4 Cosmin Ratiu, 3 Bogdan Balan, 2 Razvan Mavrodin, 1 Cezar Popescu.
Replacements: 16 Marius Tincu, 17 Paulica Ion, 18 Sorin Socol, 19 Florin Corodeanu, 20 Lucian Sirbu, 21 Florin Vlaicu, 22 Gabriel Brezoianu.

Date: Tuesday, 25 September
Venue: Le Stade, Toulouse
Kick-off: 20:00 (19:00 BST, 18:00 GMT)
Referee: Paul Honiss
Touch judges: Simon McDowell, Carlo Damasco
Television match official: Kelvin Deaker
Assessor: Tappe Henning

By Marcus Leach