The pressure was rising at the captains' photocall for the Men’s Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament on Wednesday in Dubai, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the photo was being taken at the Tattu Dubai Sky Lounge on the 81st floor of the Ciel Hotel in Dubai Marina, the tallest hotel in the world.
The reason for the steep uptake in air pressure was the quartet of captains' proximity to the Webb Ellis Cup, a bold reminder of just what is at stake for these four nations – Belgium, Brazil, Namibia and Samoa – over the next fortnight at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.
For one of these four proud countries the 24th and final place at RWC 2027 in Australia will be in their grasp come 18 November, while for the others it will be bitter disappointment. For Samoa and Namibia qualification will keep alive a fine tradition of participation in Rugby World Cup going back to 1991 and 1999 respectively.
For Belgium and Brazil securing a place at Australia 2027 would be the greatest achievement in their nation’s rugby history and launch the game into another stratosphere of participation, popularity and sponsorship. So not much to play for then…!
The first captain to mention the “p” word was Jean-Maurice Decubber, perhaps the finest flanker Belgium has ever produced. “It's our first Final Qualification Tournament so for now we didn't really feel this pressure,” he began, “because we have match after match – and for now we just play the first match against Namibia.”
“For now we are not in the last game, we are not in position to go to the Rugby World Cup. That's the game to win (against Namibia) and win game after game, and perhaps the pressure will come after but for now we are confident in our group and there’s not a lot of pressure. And when the pressure does come, in our case, it is a good thing for the group because it will mean we will be close to achieving our goal.”
Embracing pressure is always a good strategy, especially so high up in the futuristic Dubai skyline. Theo McFarland, captain of the tournament's highest ranked team Samoa, was also not shying away from the “p” word.
A big privilege
When asked about Samoa’s recent disappointing run of form, that saw them finish sixth in the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2025 and then lose the South America/Pacific play-off to Chile, McFarland faced the question head on.
“It's definitely been tough, but especially now it's the last chance for qualifying, the last tournament, and it's all training and games and it's a lot of pressure”, said the charismatic Saracens second-row-cum-flanker. “But at the same time pressure is part of the job and every time you play rugby. For us it's just the focus, staying in the moment and trusting all our progress. You take it day by day in the week and you build your confidence playing in the weekend.”
And that is what Manu Samoa will be out to do over the next 10 days and not becoming overwhelmed by the fact they are representing one of the proudest rugby nations in the history of the game.
“I know, we all see,” he replied when asked about the weight of expectation back home. “We obviously want to qualify and we have been involved a lot in the Rugby World Cup. So it's definitely a lot of pressure. But with that we've had a good couple days of training and we'll just figure out as we go. We’re focusing on us and not worrying about the result. Just focusing on what we're doing on a daily basis, focusing on preparation.”
Brazil captain Lorenzo Massari chose a different “p” word to describe how his team was feeling just a few days out from their first game, against Samoa, the opening match of the Final Qualification Tournament on Saturday at 17:00 local time (GMT+4) – privilege.
“Of course, it's a big, big privilege to face a team as big as Samoa,” said the dynamic Brazil Cobras centre. “And in a situation like this, that is trying to qualify for Rugby World Cup. But I don't think there is a bigger privilege than this, and that's why we choose to play this game and having a very big prize to play for should be the biggest privilege for us.”
“Ten days, not a lot of time to recover after each game,” he continued when quizzed on how he would help his team-mates deal with the pressure, “but that's what any player could dream. So we are very, very close to a bigger dream that is a Rugby World Cup. So I don't think there's much else to speak to my team-mates about (before Saturday). They already know. They work hard for it. We just need to see the work that we did in the field (in training) on Saturday.”
No second chances
Namibia captain Louis van der Westhuizen also wasn’t letting the pressure get to him, even standing so close to the ultimate prize in the men’s game, opting for a well known “g” word instead – guts.
“We have to go back to basics,” he said, when asked what would be the Welwitschias’ key to success in Dubai. “We slacked a bit, made simple errors on critical times in the games with the previous qualifiers. I think we really have to stick to our basics, do it well and just execute the plan that the coaches give us. It's going to be guts. We have to have lots of guts. It's not going to be easy. Obviously, we know that. We're not in the situation that we want to be in, but you know that's rugby. Now we have to make the best of it.”
Namibia’s tournament begins in the evening match on Saturday at 19.30 local time against in form Belgium, for both teams it's crucial to kick-off their campaign with a win.
“Rugby is a funny game,” he continued. “Obviously, the ball's not round and it can bounce anywhere. We just have to stick to our game plan, and we have to execute that to the best of our ability. It doesn't help looking at squads and players as individuals. Obviously, they (our opponents) still have to perform as a team. We'll give our absolute best. We'll prepare well and we have been preparing well. Obviously, this is our last chance. No second chances from here. We'll just give everything we have.”
And giving everything sums up the absolute commitment and dedication that every player, and member of the coaching staff will give over the next week and a half for their nation to make their Rugby World Cup 2027 dream come true.
As the Webb Ellis Cup shimmered in the brilliant Dubai morning haze it was McFarland who best summed up what it would take to come out on top and clinch that final golden ticket to Australia 2027.
“Probably trust,” he started. “Trusting each other and trusting what we've been working on. Trusting the process and having belief in what we've done. And just play for Samoa and represent our culture and our heritage. Play with heart. Leave it all on the field.”
Leave it all out on the field and book a ticket to the biggest ever Rugby World Cup in two year’s time – or wait another six years. No pressure then…
For those in Dubai, all Final Qualification Tournament matches at The Sevens Stadium will be free to attend for spectators and rugby fans, while for those that can't be there in person, the tournament will be available to watch everywhere in the world, either through local broadcast partners or free via RugbyPass TV.
