After the departure of the Frenchman Patrice Lagisquet, author of very good work during the last World Cup, the Portuguese Federation was looking for a profile identical to the former French international (46 caps). Another Frenchman, Sébastien Bertrank, was appointed but ultimately resigned for “personal reasons”.
But this Wednesday, Portugal announced the arrival of Simon Mannix (52 years old) as coach. Known for his volcanic temperament, the New Zealander was one of the important players in Racing 92’s rise to the Top 14 alongside Pierre Berbizier during the 2008-2009 season. After a two-year stint at Munster, in Ireland, he then took the position of manager at the Section Paloise, from 2014 to 2019. After missing his time with the Bassin d’Arcachon club (Nationale 2), Mannix played the fire service with Biarritz Olympique, in search of remaining in Pro D2.