Portugal turn the screw after the break to sink Canada in Edmonton
Portugal ran in six tries to beat Canada 38-14 at Clarke Stadium, a bonus-point win that lifts them to second in Pool A of the World Rugby Nations Cup and leaves the hosts still searching for a first victory in the competition.
The scoreline was a fair reflection. Canada led early and were only five behind at the break, but the game turned decisively in a sharp spell either side of half-time. Once Portugal found their rhythm, the visitors pulled clear.
A promising start Canada could not build on
Canada made the better start. Takoda McMullin crossed on 17 minutes, Peter Nelson converted, and the hosts moved 7-0 ahead. For a while it looked as though Canada had the platform to make life awkward for a Portugal side that had lost narrowly to the USA in round one.
But the visitors steadied. Samuel Marques darted over on 28 minutes to open Portugal's account, and when Tomas Appleton finished on 36 minutes, with Marques converting, the momentum had swung. Portugal went in 12-7 ahead at the interval and carried that edge straight into the second half.
The contest slipped away after half-time
This was the spell that settled it. Guilherme Vasconcelos scored on 41 minutes, and Marques added the conversion. Then came Raffaele Storti, who crossed twice in four minutes on 47 and 51, before Appleton added his second on 54. With Marques landing four conversions in all, Portugal had opened up a 38-7 lead before Canada had a late reply.
The numbers point to where the damage was done. Portugal made 116 carries to Canada's 81, beat 19 defenders to nine, and made 12 clean breaks to five. Canada, by contrast, conceded 19 turnovers and missed 20 tackles, which made it difficult to build sustained pressure despite having 55 percent possession.
Portugal's standouts
There were several strong individual displays in the visiting side.
- Manuel Cardoso Pinto was Portugal's most dangerous runner. The left wing made 157 metres from 11 carries, beat six defenders and made three clean breaks.
- Samuel Marques finished with 13 points from a try and four conversions, and his sharp work around the fringes caused problems throughout.
- Raffaele Storti took his two tries well and added three clean breaks out wide.
- Vincent Pinto was influential from full-back with 13 carries and three offloads, helping Portugal keep the ball alive when they wanted to stretch the game.
Up front, Jose Monteiro and Jose Madeira got through plenty of work, with Madeira also producing two clean breaks from the back row. It was a well-shared effort rather than a one-man show.
What went wrong for Canada
Canada will be frustrated because there was enough there to suggest they could make a game of it. Josh McIndoe was strong in midfield, making 60 metres from eight carries with two clean breaks, while Takoda McMullin finished with 85 metres and wing Kyle Tremblay added 48 metres and two clean breaks. Sion Parry led the carrying with 14 and put in 11 tackles, so effort was not the issue.
The problem was control and accuracy. Nineteen turnovers conceded and 20 missed tackles told the story. The scrum was solid at 7 from 7 and the lineout recovered 8 of 13, but too much good field position was handed back. Brock Gallagher did grab a late try, converted by Nelson, but by then the result was beyond doubt.
What it means next
The bonus-point win moves Portugal to second in Pool A and keeps them well in the mix ahead of a meeting with Tonga. Canada are sixth in Pool B after drawing with Spain in round one and next face Zimbabwe. On this evidence, they have carriers who can trouble sides, but until the error count comes down, results like this will remain hard to avoid.
Portugal did the important things better for longer. That was the difference.