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Portugal legend ponders Test return... but there's a catch
By Francisco Isaac
Portugal is in the final stages of signing a new head coach, and the choice might be decisive for the possible return of one of their most legendary players, Samuel Marques.
The Portuguese scrum half, in an interview for the French magazine Journal Officiel de la Ville de Béziers, stated he might be available for selection pending who’s going to fill Patrice Lagisquet's shoes.
Marques scored two vital clutch kicks for the Lobos in the past two years, the first to qualify Portugal for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, in a last-minute penalty, and the final two points that pushed the Portuguese team to defeat Fiji and claim their first-ever win in a RWC.
To make matters more interesting Kiwi coach Simon Mannix, who’s rumoured to be one of the two final candidates to take the job, has worked previously with Marques. Mannix coached the scrum half between 2014 and 2016 whilst in Séction Paloise, in what was a successful partnership as Pau won the ProD2 in that first season.
The 35-year-old has won twenty-five caps for his country, scoring 233 points, and now there’s a good chance he will be back to help the Lobos qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Marques is having a tremendous season for AS Béziers-Hérault alongside Lobos teammates Raffaele Storti and Francisco Fernandes, as they are currently at the top of the ProD2 with six rounds to go to wrap up the regular season.
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Latest Comments
I thought you meant in europe. Because all of the reasons theyre different I wouldn't correlate that to mean for europe, as in french broadcasters pay two or three times as much as the UK or SA broadcasters do, like they do for their league.
With France, it's not just about viewers, they are also paying much more. So no doubt there will be a hit (to the amount the French teams receive for only playing a fraction of it) but they may not care too much as long as the big clubs, the top 8 for example, enter the meaty end, and it wouldn't have the same value to them as the top14 contract/compensation does. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if the 3 separate networks broadcast deals only went to the clubs in their regions as well (that's how SR ended up (unbalanced) I believe).
Go to commentsHis best years were 2018 and he wasn't good enough to win the World Cup in 2023! (Although he was voted as the best player in the world in 2023)
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