Coach Patrice Lagisquet hailed his “incredible” Portugal team following their historic, last-gasp World Cup win over Fiji.
Rodrigo Marta’s late try, converted by Samuel Marques, saw the Portuguese home 24-23 – handing the country their first win at a World Cup – although Fiji still managed to advance to a quarter-final with England after securing a bonus point.
Former France winger Lagisquet, for whom it was a final match in charge, could not have been prouder.
He said: “It’s unbelievable, the players always find resources I never expect.
“The way they could score [so late], it’s amazing. Even if we work hard to be able to do things like that, they still surprise me after four years. It’s an incredible group, an incredible team full of really talented players.
“It couldn’t be better [to leave with a win]. I am so lucky to train a squad like this one. I am so lucky to finish with this victory, it’s a great moment.”
The moments that made history #RWC2023 | #FIJvPOR pic.twitter.com/fc5pMOCisU
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 8, 2023
Fiji coach Simon Raiwalui was disappointed with his side’s performance and conceded the better team won on the night.
“Congratulations to Portugal, they played really well, stuck in there once we took the lead,” he said.
“We thought we had it, but they scored the try. A fully deserved victory to them.
“We dropped too much ball. We were a bit tight in the context of the game. We created lots of opportunities but we just didn’t throw the ball out to our outside backs.”
Raiwalui’s men will have a week to rest before facing England and know a much-improved performance is required.
We’re going to have to rest and recover,” he said.
“England are a very good tournament team and we’re expecting a tough game. We’ll regroup, review and then get on to England.”
