Portugal have come through hard times and climbed the ladder to reach the Rugby World Cup for a second time, and Tomás Appleton is one of the players who has endured it all.

But what do you know about him? Let’s find out a bit more about Portugal’s captain.

Ten things you should know about Tomás Appleton

1. Tomás Appleton was born on the 29th of July 1993 in Lisbon, son of José Manuel and Graça Appleton. His father played a bit of college rugby, but it was his children’s dreams of a serious career in the sport that came true.

2. He has siblings, and the oldest, Francisco Appleton, was also a Portuguese international and played with Tomás at the same club, CDUL.

3. Tomás started his life in the oval ball world back in 1999, and CDUL was his first and only club in Portugal.

4. His youth playing career for CDUL was paved with glory, and he would go on to help the senior side to win their first Divisão de Honra in 22 years, in 2011-12.

5. His first cap for Portugal came in 2012 for the seven’s squad in the World Series, and two years later he landed his first Test match for the XV side, facing Namibia in November of 2014 (at the time he played on the wing).

6. He is a dentist and owns his clinic, specialising in plastic dental surgery. In 2019 he enrolled in medical school to pursue his long goal of becoming a physician.

7. He played one season abroad for Darlington Mowden Park in the National League One in 2015, and that experience helped him hone his skills and grow as a player.

Tomás Appleton has 22 caps as captain (Getty Images)

8. Father of one girl, he married in September 2022, but as Portugal had to play in the Rugby World Cup qualifying, he postponed his honeymoon until after November. A dedicated and loyal captain!

9. Because of a serious hand injury, that tore a tendon in one of his fingers while playing for the national team, he now always straps all of his fingers to avoid any more surgeries!

10. He has the dream of becoming a centurion for Portugal, as he has 63 caps for the “Lobos”, and twenty-two as a captain.

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