Antonio Prim on taking Portugal to new heights with historic Nations Cup wins

Rapidly improving Portugal has a clear brief about its goals in international rugby. Prop Antonio Prim, 23, says Os Lobos seek to be groundbreakers, elevating Portuguese rugby to places it’s never been before.

Giddy heights were reached at the 2023 Rugby World Cup when Portugal stunned Fiji 24-23. But by 2025, progress had stalled after a record 106-7 loss to Ireland.

Earlier this month, Portugal ended their recent World Rugby Nations Cup campaign with an upset 32-28 victory over Tonga in Winnipeg. It was their first win over Tonga and came a week after beating Canada 38-14, following a narrow 30-29 loss to the USA.

“It was a good game and front row effort generally. We won a scrum penalty. I went up against Siegfried Fisi’ihoi, who I played with briefly at Pau. It was a big battle. He’s an experienced and fierce opponent,” Prim told RugbyPass.

“We were on top for an hour, managing to get the ball to our wings Raffaele Storti and Manuel Cardoso Pinto, who scored three tries between them. When I went to the bench, I was on the verge of a heart attack. We wear wristbands that measure heart rate and stress levels. Mine was at an all-time high. It was horrible. We conceded four penalties and had to defend mauls and countless pick and goes until we kicked it out.”

A lack of discipline was an Achilles heel for Portugal. Despite a Cardoso Pinto hat-trick and a 59-minute lead against the USA, a 78th-minute penalty to Chris Hilsenbeck lifted the Eagles to a narrow victory in Portugal’s first Nations Cup game. Red cards to Manuel Vareiro and Pedro Vicente saw Portugal go down to 14 twice, with a yellow card to lock Martim Bello hurtful too.

“It was a very bitter taste after that game,” Pirm admitted.

“It was a challenging environment in Colorado, 1600 feet above sea level. We played some good rugby; we know we can, but mistakes and lapses in discipline came back to bite us.

“Our new coach Simon Mannix has been great. He managed the ship during the rough time we had last year and made changes to the coaching staff and our approach. We are playing a faster, more flowing style of rugby. Rugby with spark and personal accountability. We have built a new defensive system, and there is greater freedom to speak and contribute ideas. Against USA we let those standards slip.”

In March at the Butarque Stadium in Leganés, Spain, Portugal set a new standard by defeating Georgia 19-17 in the final of the Rugby Europe Championship, their first European competition win since 2004, and the first time in eight years Georgia didn’t win the title.

In a herculean defensive effort, Portugal beat Georgia for the first time since 2005, rallying from 12-3 down with Manuel Vareiro kicking 14 points and Vincent Pinto scoring a try. Nicolas Martins (21), Jose Madeira (20) and Jose Monteiro (19) contributed mammoth tackle counts, while Prim had seven tackles and had the measure of Clermont’s Giorgi Akhaladze in an earnest 41-minute shift.

“It was joy to beat the old foe after 22 years. We drew with them at the World Cup and had two harsh losses in 2024 and 2025. We’d done a lot of work to get to that point after a rough period. We had a lot of belief. It was a huge result,” Prim said.

Prim debuted for Portugal in a 38-31 loss to Italy in 2021. He’s since won 15 of his 21 Tests and was in the 2022 team that helped Portugal qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Portugal beat Hong Kong (42-14) and Kenya (85-0) before drawing with the USA (16-16) to go through.

Unfortunately, Prim missed selection for the World Cup, so he decided to revisit a positive experience from his youth in 2024. Prim, from Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa (CDUL), spent a week at the International Rugby Academy of New Zealand (IRANZ) in December 2019. It was his 16th birthday present.

“It was amazing to be in that environment and learn from the best. I remember I got Man of the Match in one game, and Sir Graham Henry was there. I spoke from the heart and said it was a privilege to be in the same room as the man who coached the All Blacks against Portugal. Though we lost, that was a landmark for Portugal rugby,” Prin said.

While in New Zealand, he also cultivated a relationship with former All Black, IRANZ founder and Wellington Axeman Murray Mexted. At a loose end, he played for the Axemen in the Swindale Shield in 2024. Wellington hadn’t won a game in 43 consecutive matches, but with Prim anchoring the scrum, they broke the duck and proved a far more competitive force.

“It was a short stint but a memorable one. The Kiwi love and care for the game are unique, and personally, it was good timing after not being selected for the World Cup. I fell back in love with the game and received great coaching from the Wellington Centurions and Wellington Lions. The technical side of the game was presented in much greater detail,” Prim said.

Accountant, Axeman prop and administrator Cameron Roseingrave described Prim as “awesome,” praising his passion for the club, willingness to learn and help others.

Prim worked at a bar and did some cleaning and gardening to make ends meet while in New Zealand. He has played for Lusitanos, a professional team based in Lisbon that competes in various competitions, including the Rugby Europe Super Cup and the Toyota Cup.

Portugal’s next internationals are in November against Chile and Uruguay.