Before he has even fully taken up the position, Simon Mannix, the new head coach of Portugal, has executed a brilliant move when he persuaded Samuel Marques to come out of Test retirement.

The clutch player for Os Lobos in the Rugby World Cup 2023 has previously worked with Mannix, who coached the goal-kicking scrum-half at Séction Paloise from 2014 to 2016.

Pau won the ProD2 in that inaugural season, indicating the success of their collaboration, and Mannix has continued to be a fan of the player who created two of the most memorable moments in Portuguese rugby history.

Marques has been the driving force behind Beziers’ Pro D2 season. He scored the winning kick in the crucial qualifier against USA to send Portugal to their first Rugby World Cup in sixteen years. Later, in the tournament, he produced another incredible conversion to help Os Lobos defeat Fiji.

After Portugal’s thrilling maiden Rugby World Cup victory in Toulouse, the 35-year-old made the choice to retire on a high note. However, the U-turn was caused by the new head coach and the possibility of facing the Springboks in July.

Because of the mutual respect between the two, RugbyPass is aware that Marques aggressively submitted Mannix’s name for consideration for an interview.

The former All Black Mannix remarked, “I coached Sam early on at Pau, back when he was an absolute livewire both on and off the pitch.”

There is mutual respect because, like many of the players from that era, he valued the rugby I wanted to play.

“He is an incredibly fit athlete who plays with such confidence and real precision in what he does. He had so much energy and he still has so much energy.”

“You can always tell when he’s on the pitch that the Beziers will prevail. I believe he has been so good that the majority of French rugby fans would say he is the player who has had the largest impact.

“Since he has come back post-World Cup, they have won so much and are on a great run, even though they are maybe struggling a little physically now we’re coming to the back end of the season and it’s pressure time,

Mannix continued, “I think it will be amazing to watch him perform in the play-offs and attempt to move his team up into the Top 14.”

“He’s participating in elite rugby, ranking in the Top 14. We would be gushing about Sam if he were playing for Toulouse. Yes, I think

“He has demonstrated with ease that he belongs on the world stage, and it is quite impressive to watch how he is managing this team.

“I’m happy to hear that Sam will be playing again. He’ll be travelling to South Africa in the summer, and this will be my first trip there to get to know the team and players and begin preparing for the Rugby Europe Championship next season.”Mannix’s Biarritz were embroiled in a relegation scrap that took place right up until the end of the season, while Marques’ team was competing at the lower end of the Pro D2 standings.

There’s no denying the positive influence that former All Blacks fly-half Mannix had at Parc des Sports d’Aguilera, even though Biarritz ultimately had to rely on those below them slipping up to stay in the French second division.

Upon taking over in December, Biarritz was in worse shape than Basque due to the unease surrounding the ownership transfer off the pitch. Nevertheless, Mannix rallied the team and narrowly avoided failure.
The truly unfortunate issue, in my opinion, is that we didn’t end the situation much sooner despite having multiple chances to make the season safe for a while. But that’s beside the point; the club is secure and, hopefully, a new, happy chapter has begun,” he remarked.

“Considering what I came into and what I inherited, as well as the group’s mental state and where everyone was at, I’m really happy.” Even though it was incredibly challenging, I had a great time.

“I compared it (Biarritz) to a battered dog that was hiding in the corner in the French press, and it required a lot of tender loving care to get the players to enjoy their work again.”
“It was an environment I had never seen before, and entering it by yourself was a little difficult. However, it has been a wonderful human experience and one of the most fulfilling experiences as a coach.