Portugal name team to play Wales in first RWC match since 2007

Portugal include 19 of the match-day 23 which secured their qualification for Rugby World Cup 2023 with a draw against USA for their opening Pool C match against Wales in Nice on Saturday.

1 Francisco Fernandes
2 Mike Tadjer
3 Anthony Alves
4 José Madeira
5 Steevy Cerqueira
6 João Granate
7 Nicolas Martins
8 Rafael Simões
9 Samuel Marques
10 Jerónimo Portela
11 Rodrigo Marta
12 Tomás Appleton (c)
13 José Lima
14 Vincent Pinto
15 Nuno Sousa Guedes

Replacements:

16 David Costa
17 Lionel Campergue
18 Diogo Hasse Ferreira
19 Martim Belo
20 David Wallis
21 Pedro Lucas
22 Joris Moura
23 Raffaele Storti 

• There are 19 survivors in the match-day 23 – who will all be making their Rugby World Cup debuts - from the side which secured their place at RWC 2023 with a 16-16 draw against USA in Dubai last November, with seven players in the starting XV aged 30 or older.

• Thirteen players in the starting team play their club rugby in France, but hooker Mike Tadjer is the only player who plays in the Top 14, for Perpignan.

• Four players in the squad - Anthony Alvès, Joris Moura, Steevy Cerqueira and Vincent Pinto - represented France at age-grade level (U17s, U18s or U20s), with right-wing Pinto winning the World Rugby U20 Championships in 2019 with France.

• Fly-half Jerónimo Portela’s father Miguel played at RWC 2007, starting tests against Romania and the All Blacks and coming off the bench against Scotland.

• Left-wing Rodrigo Marta has scored eight tries in five tests for Portugal this season, including four against Poland at the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship.

• Centre Tomás Appleton is the most capped player in the Portugal squad with 62 and has captained the team since 2019, scoring 10 of his 16 test tries when he has led the team.