Portugal names training squad for Canada match

Portugal Head Coach Patrice Lagisquet has named a squad of 33 players to prepare for next Saturday’s test match against Canada in Lisbon. It will be the fifth meeting of the two sides since 2007, with the Canadians winning all four including a 52-8 result in their most recent encounter in 2013.

Fortunes have changed for the two teams since and Portugal are now ranked four spots above Canada at No19 in the world. They are in a strong position to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023 through the Rugby Europe Championship.

Several leading players have been left out of the squad though they may return to play Japan on November 13. Lagisquet’s group is comprised of 11 players based in France, one in England, and the rest local. Of the 21 domestic players, 20 have appeared recently for the Lusitanos XV in the new Rugby Europe Super Cup competition.

Captain Tomás Appleton is the most experienced man in the group with 47 caps. His midfield partnership with José Lima is an area of strength for Os Lobos. Stade Français winger Raffaele Storti is the only Top 14 player available and there is just one new name in loosehead prop André Arrojado.

PROP
André Arrojado (Técnico / Lusitanos) – uncapped
Francisco Bruno (Direito / Lusitanos) – 23 caps
David Costa (Direito / Lusitanos) – 10 caps
Diogo Ferreira (Dax, FR) – 18 caps
João Mateus (Coimbra / Lusitanos) – 3 caps
Bruno Rocha (Técnico / Lusitanos) – 27 caps

HOOKER
Loïc Bournonville (Rumilly, FR) – 2 caps
Duarte Diniz (Direito / Lusitanos) – 23 caps

SECOND ROW
Eric Dos Santos (Anglet, FR) – 18 caps
José Madeira (Grenoble, FR) – 14 caps
José Rebelo de Andrade (Nottingham Trent University, UK) – 13 caps
Duarte Torgal (Direito / Lusitanos) – 9 caps

BACK ROW
Frederico Couto (Benfica) – 3 caps
Thibault de Freitas (La Seyne, FR) – 14 caps
Manuel Picão (Direito / Lusitanos) – 16 caps
Pedro Rosa (Direito / Lusitanos) – 1 cap
Rafael Simões (CDUL / Lusitanos) – 13 caps
David Wallis (Belenenses / Lusitanos) – 11 caps

SCRUMHALF
João Belo (CDUL / Lusitanos) – 17 caps
Théo Entraygues (Rumilly, FR) – 1 cap
Pedro Lucas (Técnico / Lusitanos) – 6 caps

FLYHALF
Jorge Abecasis (CDUL / Lusitanos) – 12 caps
Jerónimo Portela (Direito / Lusitanos) – 9 caps

CENTER
Tomás Appleton (capt., CDUL / Lusitanos) – 47 caps
José Lima (Carcassonne, FR) – 39 caps
Rodrigo Marta (Belenenses / Lusitanos) – 16 caps
Vasco Ribeiro (Agronomia / Lusitanos) – 13 caps

WING
Dany Antunes (Massy Essonne, FR) – 10 caps
Simão Bento (Mont-de-Marsan, FR) – 2 caps
Nuno Guedes (CDUP / Lusitanos) – 23 caps
Raffaele Storti (Stade Français, FR) – 9 caps

FULLBACK
Manuel Cardoso Pinto (Narbonne, FR) – 16 caps
João Freudenthal (Belenenses / Lusitanos) – 7 caps