IT IS not the winning that matters; it is the taking part. At least that is what they used to say. Years ago. In these days of megabuck wages, player power, cynicism, any-cheat-will-do mentality, most of us thought that innocence had gone forever.

So a big welcome to Portugal. For the first time in their history, they are in the Rugby World Cup finals and that old Corinthian spirit is right back. For them it is the taking part that matters. It has to. Because, let's face it, they won't win a game - and it does not matter a jot.

Just by being here in France, Portugal have already won the competition they entered. For these small amateur nations where rugby is kept alive by a few enthusiastic families, qualification is the be-all and end-all of their ambitions and now that they have got here, they can relax, enjoy themselves and see how much mayhem a bit of raw enthusiasm and passion can create among the more established nations.

The awe is there and obvious. They talk about the All Blacks in hushed tones, referring to them as their "idols". A fair guess that they don't expect to fare particularly well in that game. Scotland get the admiration they should get ahead of today's game: "This is an important moment for rugby in Portugal," says Tomaz Morais, their young coach who has moved from coaching the nation's sevens team onto the world stage to coaching the fifteens onto the world stage.

"We have a lot of respect for Scotland. We have studied Scotland's game, we know they are very organised. We know they are very strong. We are not going to create space for individual players to make an impact. We have trained a great deal. Never before have we been such a well-trained team, such a united team. I hope that the Portugal team can come here today and show just what we are made of."

The sad fact is though, that for all their brave amateurism, there are whispers of professionalism starting to wander round the Portuguese camp. Not just that they have captain and lock Goncalo Uva, one of three bothers in the pack, playing full time at Montpelier in France, Diogo Mateus on the books at Munster last season, a some others playing second division rugby in France on a semi-professional basis; and a couple of students with "understanding" parents (as Morais puts it) who are, in practice, full-time players.

No, it is more that all the younger players see this World Cup as their chance to play for their dream. They know they can't be full-time professionals at home, but they can if they stride onto the world stage and make names for themselves. So watch out for Pedro Leal, a tricky little full-back with superb running skills, and the Uva bothers Joao and Vasco, trying to join their younger brother Goncalo in professional ranks.

Not just that, but qualifying for the Rugby World Cup releases money, and for the first time in their history, Portugal, who reckon that they have been together as a team for about five or six years, have at last had the chance to spend a couple of months together in camp, working on fitness, skills, and the various other things that make all the difference to a modern team.

So they may be the last of the great amateurs, but it is not the pure amateurism of a century ago but it is an amateurism born of lack of options, not lack of will; and the World Cup has shoved the door of opportunity open just a crack. A decent performance today and, most importantly against Romania later in the campaign, will shove it open a touch more.

Not, however, quite as much as Frank Hadden, the Scotland coach, seemed to imagine in the week when he declared that L'Equipe, the highly respected newspaper in France, had picked Miguel Portela, the 33-year-old lawyer who plays for Direito in the Portuguese league, in their World XV.

Now this may have raised the odd eyebrow. Maybe even the odd pair of eyebrows. Wonder what the Irish outside centre, one B O'Driscoll, thought of that. Or Stirling Mortlock, Yannick Jauzion, Mils Muliaina and the rest. Were all those hours in the gym, the endless weights, the pain of game after game to be blown away by a part-time legal eagle from Lisbon?

Thankfully, no. Hadden had grabbed his stick by the wrong end. Portela was indeed in L'Equipe's team but it was not a World XV, more an Exotic XV, players with colourful personalities and backgrounds from the unheard-of sides.

Bit of a let off there, then. No world-class star to worry about. Portugal may be one of the up-and-coming sides and one of those heading up the rankings, but they are still amateur at heart. World XV? This is a nation which saw a third of its squad end up in jail after winning qualification in Uruguay and overdoing the celebrations a touch.

Now that really is a hark back to the amateur days.