Double agents out to prove their worth

Ben Nurse talks to two of Portugal’s World Cup stars looking forward to taking on England A

EVERYONE who has ever played rugby has had the same familiar overwhelming feeling of anticipation and eagerness. A massive fixture lies tantalising in reach on the Saturday afternoon, but a full week of work is required first.

For most of us the pinnacle of this will manifest itself in a humble County Cup Final or maybe a local derby, when your opposite number is someone who loves to tease you about the result in the pub for months afterwards.

However, in the west of Iberia, there were two men who fulfilled their modest 9-5 plagued with zealous thoughts of clashing with the famous Wallabies, two-time champions of the world, and with Warren Gatland’s Wales, multiple Six Nations Grand Slam winners. For these few, a full-time occupation coincides with the mental and physical preparation necessary to compete, and win, at the very zenith of the sport.

Playing at the Everest of professional sport when they aren’t a fully professional player.

Portugal rugby’s now talismanic and beloved captain, Tomás Appleton, began studying to become a dentist in 2012, back then rugby was just a hobby and he, nor anyone else, could have foreseen what lay on the horizon.

We know now that the swash-buckling crash-ball inside centre with silky soft hands would go on to announce himself on the world stage. However, for much of his life his silky soft hands have been on the inside the mouth of residents of Lisbon, dental hygiene his main focus. The Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa (CDUL) captain has gone on to amass 67 caps for his country, scoring 14 tries along the way.