Shock for Portugal as Belgium beat the odds

CORNISH Pirates full-back Jordan Gott hopes that playing a part in Belgium rugby’s best-ever win will be the catalyst for a strong second half of the season on a personal level as well as the dawn of a bright new era for the Black Devils. 

- JON NEWCOMBE

Last weekend, Gott was the last line of a Belgium defence that kept Portugal try-less for the first time in 44 Tests – a run dating back over five years – in the opening round of the Rugby Europe Championship.

That heroic rearguard action, cheered on by a bouncing 5,000-strong crowd inside the Stade Charles Tondreau in Mons, saw them protect a 10-6 half-time lead and hold on for a remarkable win after a pointless second-half.

Belgium forced Portugal into mistake after mistake and Os Lobos’ performance was a million miles away from the World Cup, where they beat Fiji, drew with Georgia and gave Wales and Australia a good game only a few months earlier.

“I have never been so happy in my life. As a rugby nation this is just what Belgium needed,” said Gott, still elated when talking to The Rugby Paper 48 hours after the victory.

As mystifying as the Portugal no-show was, it is unfathomable to think why the Belgium union decided to take yesterday’s home game against Poland back to the much smaller Stade de Pachy in Waterloo given how well the Mons venture went.

“I wasn’t fully aware of the support we would have in Mons. It is the first time we’ve played there and the noise from the crowd was incredible. You’d have thought the capacity was 10 times what it was with how passionate they were,” said the heavily tattoed Belgium No.15.

Having watched and admired Portugal’s back play at the World Cup Gott feared he could be a busy man last Saturday. But the 28-year-old Royal Navy aircraft engineer, who was born in Belgium, says credit must go to the heavy duty Belgium pack and the two centres for repelling the Portuguese.