Brazil and Namibia are fighting to keep their Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 hopes alive. As they head into round two of the Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai on Thursday. Both teams suffered defeats in their opening matches. Brazil lost to Samoa.
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And Namibia fell to Belgium, which means another loss would end their World Cup dreams. With only one spot left for Australia 2027, the pressure is higher than ever. Thursday’s action at The Sevens Stadium begins with Belgium facing Brazil at 5:00 p.m. local time (GMT+4).
Followed by Samoa against Namibia at 7:30 p.m. The stakes are clear: if Brazil’s Os Tupis or Namibia’s Welwitschias lose, they’re out. On the other hand, a win for Belgium’s Black Devils or Samoa’s Manu Samoa will bring them a step closer to securing that final qualification place.
Belgium entered the match full of confidence after their impressive 22–15 victory over Namibia. They dominated for much of that contest and are determined not to let their guard down against a Brazilian side that finished strongly despite losing to Samoa.
Head coach Laurent Dossat has chosen to stick with almost the same lineup that earned the win last weekend. The only changes come on the bench, with tight-head prop Basile van Parys replacing Bruno Vliegen and centre Timothe Rifon coming in for Hugo de Francq.
Rugby World Cup: Belgium Stick With Winning Lineup
One of Belgium’s standout players has been young fly-half Matias Remue. He caused endless trouble for Namibia’s defence with his quick runs around the ruck. Another key figure is captain Jean-Maurice Decubber, the energetic openside flanker who led from the front and controlled the breakdown against Namibia’s larger pack.
Dossat’s decision to keep his strongest starting XV shows Belgium’s intent to maintain its momentum. Brazil, meanwhile, have made three changes to their starting side. Full-back Lucas Tranquez moves to the bench, replaced by Thiago Oviedo.
Hooker Wilton Rebolo shifts to tight-head prop in place of Leonel Moreno. Henrique Ribeiro Ferreira, who scored a try in the first round, comes in as the new hooker. On the bench, Yan Rosetti returns to the squad for the first time since 2021, while Helder Lucio and Gustavo Gobeti also earn spots among the replacements.
While Belgium are the form team with five wins in their last six matches, history favours Brazil in this matchup. Os Tupis have beaten the Black Devils in both of their previous encounters, including a 47–25 victory in São Paulo in July 2024.
Belgium’s overall record against South American teams isn’t encouraging either; they’ve won just one of their last five, a 45–20 win over Paraguay earlier this year. This might explain why Dossat has opted for consistency in his lineup.
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Rugby World Cup Final: Brazil Take Positives from Samoa Defeat
Brazil’s Director of Rugby, Josh Reeves, will also take confidence from his team’s recent record against European opponents. Brazil have won two of their last four games against European nations, including that convincing win over Belgium last year.
Despite their 48–10 defeat to Samoa in round one, Brazil can take positives from their defensive performance. They recorded the most dominant tackles of any team (13), just ahead of Belgium, which had 11.
Belgium, however, impressed with a tournament-best tackle success rate of 93%. Both teams were evenly matched in their maul game as well, each gaining 25 metres from that set piece. According to Opta data, Brazil averaged five metres per maul, the best in the competition, while Belgium followed closely with 3.6.
Individual performances could decide this crucial clash. Belgium’s captain Decubber has been a powerhouse. Leading all players in carries (16), tackles (22), and metres gained in contact (24), while also scoring a try. Brazil will need to find a way to contain him if they want to stay alive in the tournament.
For Brazil, fly-half João Pedro Amaral remains key. He had the most kicks in play in round one, gaining an impressive 361 kicking metres. Amaral also led his team in carries (10), running metres (109), and defenders beaten (6), showing how vital he is to their attack.
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