Preview: Portugal v Romania
Cry Wolf: Can the Lobos avenge their defeat in France?
Portugal meet Romania in Lisbon on Saturday in a European Nations Cup match, a competition about to go into its second year.
It is their first meeting since their close encounter at the World Cup. For the Oaks much has changed since then.
Because four of the countries are from the cold East of Europe where winters are sincere, the progress through the competition is uneven.
Portugal have so far played three matches; Spain and Czech Republic six each. Portugal were to have played Georgia in Tblissi recently but the match was postponed because of state of emergency in Georgia.
The log is as follows at the moment:
1: Russia - 13 after 5 matches
2: Spain - 12 after 6 matches
3: Georgia - 10 after 4 matches
4: Romania - 8 after 4 matches
5: Portugal - 7 after 3 matches
6: Czech Republic - 6 after 6 matches
In this competition there are three points for winning a match, one point for turning up.
Romania, who have dominated the competition over the years, have lost two matches so far in this competition - to Georgia and Russia. Portugal have lost to Russia.
For teams like Romania and Georgia, a great deal depends on the availability of their France-based players. For this match Romania has chosen a young, home-based side.
This is not a problem for Portugal whose players by and large play in Portugal and are amateurs.
In their squad of 26 players Portugal will be without ten players who were in their Pedro Carvalho, Marcello D'orey, Joaquim Ferreira, Andre Silva, Paulo Murinello, David Penalva , Miguel Portela, João Uva, Duarte Cardoso Pinto and Juan Severino.
Severino may be a problem player. He was cited, suspended and sent home from the World Cup for a dangerous tackle and now has been suspended for fighting while playing for his Italian club Reggio Emilia in Italy's Serie A.
Portugal's coach Tomaz Morais has brought in five players who were not at the World Cup - Francisco Mira, Rodrigo Aguiar, Sebastião Cunha, António Sarmento and Adérito Esteves.
Portugal were a popular team at the World Cup and some of their players are now playing abroad, including Duarte Cardoso Pinto who was such a success at fly-half at the World Cup.
The only Romanian player in the side to play the Lobos is lock Alin Coste who plays in France. Most of the players come from two Bucharest clubs - Dinamo and Steaua, the army club. Their team may well be an investment for the future but if the Oaks lose this match they are highly unlikely to win the competition.
During the World Cup Romania and Portugal were in the same pool. When they met, Romania won 14-10. But of that team only flyhalf Dan Dumbrava is in the starting XV this time and only Florin Vlaicu is on the bench. For the rest it is all change for the Oaks.
One could reasonably expect a Portuguese victory.
The teams:
Portugal squad: António Duarte, Francisco Mira, Luís Pissarra, Rodrigo Aguiar (all Agronomia), David Mateus, Diogo Mateus, Sebastião Cunha (all Belenenses), Cristian Spachuk (Blagnac, France), Juan Murré (Livorno, Italy), Diogo Gama, José Pinto, Tiago Girão (all Bwin Pozuelo Boadilla, Spain), Duarte Figueiredo, Gonçalo Foro, Pedro Cabral (all CDUL), António Sarmento, Gonçalo Malheiro (all CDUP), Adérito Esteves, António Aguilar, Diogo Coutinho, Frederico Sousa, João Correia, Pedro Leal, Vasco Uva (captain) (all Direito), Gonçalo Uva (Montpellier, France).
Romania: 15 Florin Vlaicu (Steaua Bucuresti), 14 Gheorghita Bigiu (Dinamo Bucuresti), 13 Csaba Gal (U Cluj), 12 Vlad Dan (Steaua Bucuresti), 11 Stefan Ciuntu (U Cluj), 10 Danut Dumbrava (Steaua Bucuresti), 9 Iulian Andrei (Steaua Bucuresti), 8 Costica Mersoiu (captain) (Dinamo Bucuresti), 7 Mihai Macovei (CSM U REMIN Baia Mare), 6 Stelian Burcea (Dinamo Bucuresti), 5 Valentin Popirlan (Dinamo Bucuresti), 4 Alin Marcel Coste (Narbonne, France), 3 Radu Basalau (Steaua Bucuresti), 2 Marcel Mihalache (Steaua Bucuresti), 1 Nicolae Nere (Steaua Bucuresti)
Replacements: 16 Flavius Dobre (Dinamo Bucuresti), 17 Bogdan Zebega (Steaua Bucuresti), 18 Cosmin Ratiu (Dinamo Bucuresti), 19 Vasile Rus (Steaua Bucuresti), 20 Ciprian Caplescu (Dinamo Bucuresti), 21 Ionut Dimofte (Steaua Bucuresti), 22 Catalin Dascalu (Steaua Bucuresti)
Date: Saturday, 1 December
Kick-off: 11:00 (GMT and local time)
Venue: Estádio Nacional, Lisbon
Conditions: Partly cloudy with a high of 17°C, dropping to 11°C and just a light wind.
Referee: Tim Hayes (Wales)
Touch judges: David Bodilly (Wales), Mike Bethell (Wales)
Match commissioner: Yves Bressy (France)