Portugal Are A Team To Be Taken Seriously – Tucker

Scrum Coach Cullie Tucker with an update on the Ireland squad as he looks forward to Ireland’s second test match of the Summer Tour – against Portugal on Saturday.

Tucker spoke first about how the new caps acquitted themselves in the opening match against Georgia, “I think in fairness, how they prepared, they weren’t just accepting of getting the jersey, they wanted to go out and perform with it.

“It was evident in how they undertook the task at the weekend. Very proud to see new caps out there, and I thought they did themselves justice.”

Looking ahead to Saturday against ‘Os Lobos’ he said, “They’re a very good rugby team. It’s a game that needs to be taken very, very seriously. We’re here to win two games, they’re going to provide a different type of challenge to Georgia, but a significant one. And you have the heat on top of that.

“They’re coached by Simon Mannix, who is a very good operator. It’s going to be a very, very tough game and we’re preparing like it’s going to be that way.The boys are very focused, obviously carrying good positivity from the result and performance at the weekend. We reviewed it very well, very hard. There’s plenty for us to be better at.

“A change of climate now, the heat has increased significantly, but the boys’ attitude has been brilliant. It’s been a good couple of days so far.”