It was a good weekend for Portuguese rugby as a whole as the women’s national team took a big step towards promotion to the Rugby Europe Women’s Championship.
On the same day that Os Lobos secured a place in the men’s Rugby Europe Championship, Portugal’s women secured a third bonus-point victory, defeating Czechia 51-0.
Portugal now sit proudly at the top of the women’s Trophy standings with 15 points from 15 and only the slightest mathematical possibility of Finland, who have a game in hand, denying them the title.
Finland have Czechia and Belgium left to play, while Portugal will be assured of the title if they take anything from their remaining fixture against Germany on 15 April.
Matilde Goes scored twice and was joined on the scoresheet by five other players in a win which also lifts Portugal up one place in the World Rugby Women’s Rankings powered by Capgemini.
Portugal have climbed to 29th, moving above Tonga, while the defeat had a bad knock-on effect for Czechia, who’ve fallen four places to 35th.
In the other fixture, Ciska De Grave’s two tries were in vain as Belgium suffered a 14-10 loss at home to Germany.
Their third straight Trophy defeat sees them rooted to the bottom of the standings as well as costing them two places in the rankings.
Belgium now find themselves below Kenya and Colombia, in 26th, while Germany are unchanged in 21st but with an enhanced rating of 52.42 points.
Joy Weatherspoon and Johanna Hacker scored first-half tries for the Germans with Laura Schwinn’s two conversions proving decisive to the outcome.
Pic: Federação Portuguesa de Rugby/Luis Cabelo
