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Portugal player ratings vs Scotland | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
By Francisco Isaac at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Portugal player ratings: Portugal’s second visit to Murrayfield ended in a 59-21 loss, with the Lobos conceding more than a wave of tries in the second half.
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The Lobos had in Nicolás Martins, Samuel Marques and José Lima three of their best players, with them pushing for a more positive outcome in their second Autumn game.
1. David Costa – 6
Strong scrummaging, and more than a handful of dominant tackles, the Portuguese loosehead prop made sure to give his 100%.
2. Luka Begic – 6
The hooker masterfully controlled the Portuguese maul and found his way inside the try area before half-time. Only one lineout throw-in missed, Luke Begic also carried the ball well, giving a bit of grittiness to his team’s attack.
3. Diogo H. Ferreira – 6
As David Costa, the US Dax’s tighthead made sure to knock back any Scottish player that attempted to break through the Portuguese defence—worked his hats off until he was subbed off.
4. José Madeira – 6
Good tackles, one lineout steal and was one of Portugal’s most trustworthy players in Murrayfield today. Came off after the break due to an injury.
5. Duarte Torgal – 3
Yellow-carded for a maul infringement, the lock seemed lost for most of the game.
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6. André Cunha – 5
The youngest player in the Lobos side, André Cunha tackled well, collecting more than a dozen. Came off injured just a few minutes into the second half.
7. Nicolás Martins – 7
In what was a lacklustre outing for Portugal, Montpellier’s Nicolás Martins was the best player for the visitors. The openside flanker was able to snatch three Scottish lineouts, completed a total of twelve tackles and won several meters when he was requested to carry the oval-shaped ball.
8. Frederico Couto – 4
Failed to make any impact from the back of the scrum and allowed for two Scottish runners to escape through his clutches.
9. Samuel Marques – 8
In his first game for Portugal since the 2023 Men’s Rugby World Cup, the 35-year-old scrum-half tried to keep his team alive for most of the game. His kicking game was on point, as was his passing, threading the needle well. Scored the Lobos’s second try.
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10. Domingos Cabral – 5
Was close to scoring Portugal’s first try, but a knock-on nulled the fly-half’s run. The 23-year-old wasn’t able to link with his backline as well as he wanted but had some good individual moments to spark the game alive.
11. Lucas Martins – 4
Quiet night for the speedster, mostly due to the fact the ball never found his hands out wide. Missed a couple of tackles, two of which led to Scottish tries.
12. Tomás Appleton – 6
Started slow but ended up saving Portugal from two certain tries in the first minutes after half-time, and was vital for Raffaele Storti’s try. Didn’t take the foot off the gas when his team started to dip in form.
13. José Lima – 7
One of the best players from the visitors, the experienced centre battled his way through and cracked open more than a handful of gaps in Scotland’s defence. Relentless over the physicality front.
14. Raffaele Storti – 7
Portugal’s arrow delivered what he had previously promised, a try in Murrayfield. After a rather calm first half, Raffaele Storti turned up the heat and broke the line twice, finding his way into the try-are after sidestepping a couple of Scottish tacklers.
15. Simão Bento – 6
Simão Bento didn’t have the chance to show his best as an attacking option but kept Portugal safe from the back. Positive
16. Abel da Cunha – 4
17. Pedro Vicente – 3
18. António Prim – 4
19. António R. Andrade – 4
20. Vasco Baptista – 4
Could’ve bagged Portugal’s fourth try but wasn’t able to ground the ball. A couple of strong carries made the Portuguese fans awake from their slumber.
21. António Cardoso – N/A
22. Hugo Aubry – 5
The fly-half showed a bit more promise than Cabral.
23. Manuel C. Pinto – 6
Sharp as a knife, Manuel C. Pinto made Scotland take a few steps back every time he ran, pushing for Portugal to go into offence rather than sit and watch the game unfold.
