Meet rugby`s Mourinho

We've all heard the one about the gifted Portuguese coach who claims to operate on a shoestring, but the plight of Tomás Morais is no joke.

The mastermind behind Portugal's shock qualification for the Rugby World Cup is not so much crying wolf as keeping the monstrous beast from the door.

That the Portuguese are actually in France is thanks, in part, to the generosity of their government and the International Rugby Board (IRB), but a lack of cash is the least of their current woes. The 'Lobos' are also desperately short on size, strength, skill, stamina and experience.

Morais, a university lecturer by trade, governs over a ragtag assortment of desk jockeys. Accountants and dentists lurk in the scrum; teachers and engineers populate the backline; the captain is a law student; the vice-captain is a vet. Just one member of the squad, Gonçalo Uva, earns a decent crust from rugby, albeit as a bench-warmer for Montpellier.

Accordingly, Portugal's preparations have been far from professional. Whilst New Zealand's brightest stars were withdrawn from Super 14 to undergo World Cup 'conditioning', the Portuguese were busy working double-shifts in preparation for their two-month sabbatical.

And whilst English teeth continue to gnash over those recent defeats to France, Morais's men take a seat at rugby's top table with memories of a humbling defeat to London Welsh still fresh in their minds.

Before September is out, the lowly Lobos will have done battle with Romania, Italy, Scotland and the alpha dogs of world rugby, the All Blacks. Where is the RSPCA when you need it?

And yet the Portuguese march to France with their heads held high. They are wearing ear-to-ear grins. They actually want to play New Zealand. Have the morphine drips already been attached?

Not a bit of it. Merely securing an invite to the ball is prize enough for the Iberian amateurs.

"Our World Cup was just about getting here - being here is simply a dream come true," Morais told this website.

"We've thought of little else over the past three years. It's a huge achievement for us and a great springboard for Portuguese rugby.

"We know what we will be up against in France, but we go into the games with our eyes open - we know our limits.

"We've got a difficult pool and we can't expect to win many games. Our intention is to win the respect of the rugby world by playing with pride and dignity - and perhaps, then, we might just spring a surprise on the Romanians in our last game."

It's easy and advisable to turn to emotional intangibles when you are lost in Brobdingnag, but Morais clearly believes in the power of such things as 'pride' and 'dignity', and he delivers the key words with a narrowing of the eye and in the manner of a shaman.

Indeed, ignoring the obvious need for a round-balled reference point, it's not hard to see why the Portuguese media delights in referring to the cerebral 37-year-old as the 'José Mourinho of rugby'.

Like his Chelsea-based compatriot, Morais's self-assurance titters on the very brink of arrogance. He is a big believer in belief. He peppers his musings with buzzwords like "positive envy" and is not averse to the sound of his own voice.

He recently penned a book that sought to introduce various sporting principles to the world of business. In it he attacked "the stunting effect of individualism" in his native land and the "negative mindset of those that lead us".

Portuguese president Aníbal Cavaco Silva is obviously a magnanimous sort: he recently hosted a farewell drinks reception for the squad and is said to be planning to be in Saint Etienne for the game against Scotland.

Yet like Mourinho, it's hard to pick holes in Morais's methods - the proof is in the pudding. It's unlikely that Portugal would be where they are today had it not been his hand on the tiller of the caravel.

Despite the back injury that curtailed his playing career after 22 caps, his passion for rugby remains undiminished and his desire for success has never wavered.

Long before the Lobos had even entered the labyrinthine qualification system for the World Cup, it was Morais's hounding of uninitiated sponsors and his lobbying of dubious officials that laid the foundations of the dream.

"I enjoy setting goals and I relish summoning up my inner strength when the obstacles appear insurmountable," he says.

"I'm not the sort of person who tolerates dramas or negativity. I am the opposite. I always think positive and am always moving forward."

That iron resolve will be tested to the hilt in the coming weeks. Morais arrived in France at the eleventh hour after prising himself away from the hospital bed occupied by his infant daughter who is fighting for her life after a problematic birth.

The family drama has put Portugal's participation at the World Cup into harsh perspective, but Morais is eyeing resolution on all fronts.

Which brings us back to that date with the 'Oaks' of Romania. For the first time in the tournament's history, the team that finishes fourth in each of the four pools will automatically qualify for Rugby World Cup 2011.

The new decree grants each of the so-called 'minnows' a cup final of their own, and all before the play-offs even begin. Understandably, Morais has more than one eye on that final game.

"We are happy to be here but the party is now over," he said.

"Facing Scotland, New Zealand and Italy in a short space of time is a tough ask of any side in the world - for us it might turn out to be the toughest few weeks of our lives.

"We need to be there for each other and we need to keep our minds clear, come what may.

"We can't let the pressure get to us. If we can do all this, we will be able to offer Romania a stern test."

The us-against-the-world mentality is, again, reminiscent of the Chelsea boss, but Morais is quick to dispel the notion.

"I am very proud of the comparison," he says. "But I am not Mourinho, I am Tomás - my work has nothing in common with Mourinho's work."

It's hard to argue with the man. The Lobos are not fired by petrodollars, they play in spite of the money and for the simple love of the game. In these days of ice baths and IonX vests, as rugby continues its headlong rush towards cold-hearted professionalism, the passionate Portuguese stand as a reminder of the true spirit of rugby.

A win in France is highly unlikely, but the respect of the world is there for the taking.

By Andy Jackson www.planetrugby.com