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Portugal national rugby union team

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Portugal
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameOs Lobos (The Wolves)
EmblemPortuguese shield
UnionPortuguese Rugby Federation
Head coachSimon Mannix
CaptainTomás Appleton
Most capsGonçalo Uva (101)
Vasco Uva (101)
Top scorerSamuel Marques (343)
Top try scorerRodrigo Marta (43)
Home stadiumVarious
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current14 (as of 16 March 2026)
Highest13 (2023)
Lowest30 (2015, 2016)
First international
 Portugal 5–6 Spain 
(Lisbon, Portugal; 13 April 1935)
Biggest win
 Portugal 93–0 Czech Republic 
(Caldas da Rainha, Portugal; 23 March 2019)
Biggest defeat
 Portugal 7–106 Ireland 
(Algés, Portugal; 12 July 2025)
World Cup
Appearances3 (first in 2007)
Best resultPool stage (2007, 2023)
Websitefpr.pt

The Portugal national rugby union team,[1] nicknamed Os Lobos (The Wolves), represents Portugal in men's international competitions, They are administered by the Portuguese Rugby Federation. Portugal have experienced modest success in the last two decades. They qualified for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France and though they lost all their matches, they managed to score one try in each game and led against Romania until the late minutes.

Portugal qualified for their second Rugby World Cup in 2022, topping a repechage qualifying group featuring the United States, Hong Kong, and Kenya to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. In that edition of the tournament, Portugal got their first draw in a Rugby World Cup against Georgia 18–18, and got their first ever win in the Rugby World Cup when they beat Fiji 24–23. Portugal will play in its third Rugby World Cup in 2027.

History

[edit]

Early

[edit]

Portugal played its first ever rugby international in April 1935 against Spain, losing by a single point, 6–5.[citation needed] They played Spain again the following year with Spain winning 16–9. Portugal had more regular competition from the mid-1960s, and won their first game in 1966, defeating Spain 9–3.[citation needed] Portugal played Italy for the first time in 1967, losing 6–3. They also had their first match against Romania soon after and lost by 40 points. They defeated Belgium in 1968, and also played Morocco for the first time.

The first game of the 1970s was a draw against the Netherlands. Portugal managed to draw with Italy (nil all) in 1972 and following that, defeated them 9–6 in 1973. After a number of mixed results throughout the early 1970s, Portugal won five matches in a row from 1979 through to 1981. They played Morocco, who won the encounter. After a 1983 draw against Spain, Portugal managed a seven-game winning streak from 1984 to 1985, including wins over Belgium, Denmark, Morocco, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Zimbabwe. The first Rugby World Cup was held in 1987, though it was by invitation, thus there was no qualifying tournament and Portugal did not participate.

1990s

[edit]

From 1989 to 1990, the 1991 World Cup qualifiers were held for the European nations. Portugal started in Round 2b in October 1989. They defeated Czechoslovakia 15 to 13 in Ricant to advance to Round 2c. However here they were defeated by the Netherlands 32–3 and eliminated from qualifying.

Portugal again participated in the 1995 World Cup qualifying competition for European teams, starting in Round 1. They were pooled in the West Group, and defeated Belgium and Switzerland, but lost to Spain, advancing into Round 2. Here Wales defeated them, and they lost to Spain.

Portugal began in Pool 3 of Round B in the European qualifying competition for the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Portugal won all their group matches, except for the one against Spain, and still finished second in the group, which took them into Pool 3 of Round C. All games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland. Portugal lost 85–11 to Scotland, and 21–17 to Spain. Both Scotland and Spain went through to the World Cup; Portugal went into repechage, where Portugal lost a home and away series to Uruguay.

2000s

[edit]

In 2002, Portugal began playing for a place in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Pool A of Round 3 of the European qualifying tournament. They were grouped with Spain and Poland. Each nation only won one game, though on for and against Portugal finished second to Spain. Portugal were knocked out of competition. In 2003–04, Portugal won the European Nations Cup, losing only one match to win their first championship. In 2004, Professor Tomaz Morais, coach of the Portugal national team at both sevens and fifteen a side, was nominated for the IRB's coach of the year award. This was a remarkable achievement for a coach from a third tier rugby nation. Morais has been credited with much of Portugal's progress in recent years.

In 2006, it was announced that Portugal would receive a grant from the IRB to help develop their rugby to Tier 2 standard. Few details were released regarding how the money was spent, but it was hoped it would ensure that Portugal's rugby would be able to move onto the next level. In 2006, the inaugural IRB Nations Cup was hosted in Lisbon. The tournament featured Portugal, Russia, Argentina A and Italy A.

2007 World Cup

[edit]
Portugal (in red) playing Italy

Portugal began their qualification campaign for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in 2004, as part of the European Nations Cup Division 1 2004–06 tournament. They won their first match, defeating Ukraine 6–36. They then defeated Georgia 18–14 in their second match, won their third match against the Czech Republic, defeated Russia as well, but then lost to Romania. Portugal then drew with Russia 19-all and lost to Georgia. After a loss to Romania and a win against the Czech Republic, Portugal finished third overall in the standings, and qualified for Round 5.

Round 5 was played in October 2006 as a three match series between Italy, Russia and Portugal. Both Portugal and Russia lost heavily in their matches against Italy, who easily qualified for the finals. Second place came down to the final match of the round in Lisbon. Portugal won the match 26–23 against Russia to make it to Round 6. Round 6 was a home and away series against the Round 5 Pool B winners, Georgia. Portugal lost the first match, but drew 11-all in the second meeting. Georgia went through to the finals, and Portugal entered the repechage round where they defeated Morocco 26–20 on aggregate.

Portugal then faced Uruguay for the last position in the finals. In the first leg of the two-match Repechage series, Portugal won 12–5. In the second game in Montevideo Portugal lost 18–12. On aggregate, Portugal won 24–23, sending them to their first ever World Cup. Having qualified for their first World Cup, several players were subsequently arrested in the ensuing celebrations as a result of an altercation with local police.[citation needed] No charges were laid and the players involved were allowed to leave Uruguay.

In the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Portugal went to Pool C, alongside favourites the All Blacks, Italy, Romania and Scotland. Portugal's highlights included preventing Italy getting a bonus point, scoring a try against the All Blacks, and coming within a try of beating Romania before losing 14–10. They also managed to score in all the four games, unlike Scotland and Romania. The Portugal team were celebrated for their commitment and passion,[citation needed] and for being the only amateur team to make it to the World Cup.

2008–present

[edit]

After the World Cup, Portugal faced some problems, including the end of the club and international careers of several key players, like Joaquim Ferreira, Paulo Murinello, Samuel Belo and Rui Cordeiro, and achieved only one win over Czech Republic in the final round of the European Nations Cup tournament, finishing in 5th place, their worst result since 2002.

On 1 November 2008, they lost at home against Canada 21–13 in a friendly game.[2] After a disappointing campaign under Tomaz Morais in the 2006–2008 edition of the Six Nations B, that would qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup finals, Murray Henderson was assigned as Specialist Forward coach.

Portugal missed the second presence at the Rugby World Cup finals, after two surprising losses at home with Georgia (10–16) and Romania (9–20), which the "Lobos" had previously defeated 22–21 abroad. Portugal thus missed the 3rd place that would have granted access to the Rugby World Cup repechage.

Tomaz Morais was replaced by New Zealand coach Errol Brain, in October 2010, with a three years contract. He had mixed results, starting with strong performances but ended up with disappointing games. He was replaced by Frederico Sousa in October 2013.

Portugal lost to Germany in the 2015–16 European Nations Cup Division 1A, finishing last, resulting in relegation for the following year.

After Portugal got relegated to the 2016–17 Rugby Europe Trophy, Portugal went on to win the tournament 3 times in a row until the 2018–19 season, when they were granted promotion to the Rugby Europe Championship. Since then, Portugal have been quite successful in the competition. In the 2020–21 season, they finished 3rd place in a league system and in the 2022–23 season, they finished 1st place in a pool with Romania, Poland and Belgium, which led them to a semi-final with Spain, which they won (27–10), going all the way to the final in Badajoz, which they lost to Georgia (38–11).

Portugal qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup through the repechage tournament held in Dubai, beating Hong Kong, Kenya and drawing with the USA (16–16) on the last game, winning the repechage tournament on point difference.

They had a successful tournament, coming 4th in Pool C. They drew 18–18 with Georgia and pulled off a shock upset by beating Fiji 24–23. After the tournament, their world ranking was 13th, the highest they had ever been.

Portugal won the 2026 Rugby Europe Championship, after beating Georgia 19-17 in the final.[3]

Kits

[edit]

Kit providers

[edit]

As of 2016 their kit supplier is Macron S.p.A.

YearKit manufacturerMain shirt sponsor
2005–2008QuebramarCaixa Geral de Depósitos
2008–2014Adidas
2014–2016Canterbury
2016–2019Macron
2019–2020CV&A Consulting
2020–Banco Santander

Record

[edit]

Rugby Europe International Championships

[edit]
ENC champions
Season Division Head Coach Captain G W D L PF PA +/− Pts Pos
2000ChampionshipNew Zealand Evan Crawford520374100–2695th
2001ChampionshipNew Zealand Evan Crawford510477165–8875th
2002ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisRohan Hoffmann520393130–3794th
2003ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisLuís Pissarra550015385+68151st
2004ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisLuís Pissarra54019295-3132nd
2005ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisLuís Pissarra540110173+28133rd
2006ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisVasco Uva521292100-8104th
2007ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisVasco Uva52035896–3894th
2008ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisJoão Correia5104116100+1675th
2009ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisJoão Correia531112484+40123rd
2010ChampionshipPortugal Tomaz MoraisJoão Correia520313165+6694th
2011ChampionshipNew Zealand Errol BrainJoão Correia530211398+15143rd
2012ChampionshipNew Zealand Errol BrainGonçalo Uva5104102132–3075th
2013ChampionshipNew Zealand Errol BrainJoão Correia51137596–2174th
2014ChampionshipPortugal Frederico SousaJoão Correia510470126–5655th
2015ChampionshipPortugal João Luís PintoVasco Uva510452100–4855th
2016ChampionshipScotland Ian SmithFrancisco Pinto Magalhães500572210–13816th*
2017TrophyPortugal Martim AguiarFrancisco Pinto Magalhães550017937+142251st
2018TrophyPortugal Martim AguiarJoão Lino550016876+92231st
2019TrophyPortugal Martim AguiarSalvador Vassalo550027231+242251st
2020ChampionshipFrance Patrice LagisquetTomás Appleton520398111-1394th
2021ChampionshipFrance Patrice LagisquetTomás Appleton5302196139+57143rd
2022ChampionshipFrance Patrice LagisquetTomás Appleton521213998+41124th
2023ChampionshipFrance Patrice LagisquetTomás Appleton540119588+107192nd
2024ChampionshipPortugal João MirraTomás Appleton5302152107+45152nd
2025ChampionshipNew Zealand Simon MannixTomás Appleton5302168113+55154th
2026ChampionshipNew Zealand Simon MannixJosé Madeira550018553+105241st

Notes: Portugal's last place finish in the 2014–16 European Nations Cup First Division resulted in their relegation to 2016–17 Rugby Europe Trophy in the following year.

World Rugby Nations Cup

[edit]
Year G W D L PF PA +/− Pts Pos
Portugal 200630126287–2534th
Romania 2007did not enter
Romania 2008
Romania 2009
Romania 2010
Romania 201131026089–2956th
Romania 2012300337104–6716th
Romania 2013did not enter
Romania 2014
Romania 2015

World Cup Record

[edit]
Rugby World Cup record Qualification
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad Pos Pld W D L PF PA
New Zealand Australia 1987 Not invited Not invited
England France Ireland Scotland Wales 1991 Did not qualify P/O 2 1 0 1 18 45
South Africa 1995 3rd 5 2 0 3 85 177
Wales 1999 P/O 8 3 0 5 181 245
Australia 2003 2nd 2 1 0 1 60 60
France 2007 Pool Stage 4 0 0 4 38 209 Squad P/O 18 10 2 6 283 360
New Zealand 2011 Did not qualify 4th 10 5 1 4 255 149
England 2015 2nd 10 2 1 7 145 222
Japan 2019 P/O 7 6 0 1 237 65
France 2023 Pool Stage 4 1 1 2 64 103 Squad P/O 13 7 2 4 478 267
Australia 2027 Qualified 1st 3 3 0 0 130 50
United States 2031 To be determined To be determined
Total — 8 1 1 6 102 312 — — 78 40 6 32 1872 1640
  •   Champions
  •   Runners–up
  •   Third place
  •   Fourth place
  •   Home venue

Overall

[edit]
Men's World Rugby Rankings
Top 30 as of 28 September 2026[4]
RankChange[i]TeamPoints
1 Steady South Africa93.09
2 Steady New Zealand91.15
3 Steady Ireland88.08
4 Steady France87.43
5 Steady England85.68
6 Increase 1 Australia85.55
7 Decrease 1 Scotland84.78
8 Steady Argentina82.24
9 Steady Japan77.28
10 Steady Fiji76.81
11 Steady Wales76.38
12 Steady Italy76.30
13 Steady Georgia73.94
14 Steady Portugal69.39
15 Steady United States67.58
16 Steady Chile66.94
17 Steady Spain66.83
18 Steady Uruguay65.75
19 Steady Tonga65.14
20 Steady Samoa64.73
21 Steady Romania62.45
22 Steady Canada62.29
23 Steady Belgium61.03
24 Steady Hong Kong60.74
25 Steady Zimbabwe57.68
26 Steady Namibia56.96
27 Steady Netherlands56.44
28 Steady  Switzerland55.47
29 Steady Czech Republic54.78
30 Steady Poland54.54
  1. ↑ Change from the previous week
Portugal's historical rankings
date1215182124273010/6/200311/9/200912/14/20151/17/2022PortugalMen's World Rugby rankings
Source: World Rugby[4]
Graph updated to 24 August 2026

Head to head results

[edit]

Below is a table of the representative rugby matches played by a Portugal national XV at test level up until 18 July 2026, updated after match with  Tonga.[5][6][7]

Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn % Won
 Andorra3300100%
 Argentina XV413025%
 Australia10100%
 Australia A10100%
 Barbarians10100%
 Belgium20144270%
 Brazil640266.67%
 Canada734042.86%
 Chile4400100%
 Czechoslovakia2200100%
 Czech Republic101000100%
 Denmark2200100%
 England A10100%
 Fiji312033.33%
 France A30300%
 Georgia28519417.86%
 Germany1183072.73%
 Hong Kong321066.67%
 Ireland10100%
 Italy1311117.69%
 Italy A20110%
 Japan10100%
 Japan XV10100%
 Kenya211050%
 Lithuania1100100%
 Moldova2200100%
 Morocco1475250%
 Namibia936033.33%
 Netherlands17133176.47%
 New Zealand10100%
 Poland1293075%
 Romania32824025%
 Russia21614128.57%
 Scotland20200%
 Scotland XV10100%
 South Africa10100%
 Soviet Union20200%
 Spain431427232.56%
 Sweden2200100%
  Switzerland7700100%
 Tonga211050%
 Tunisia936033.33%
 Ukraine541080%
 United States614116.67%
 Uruguay1037030%
 Yugoslavia320166.67%
 Wales20200%
 West Germany312033.33%
 Zimbabwe422050%
Total[n 1]3411501731843.99%

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

On 26 October, Portugal named a 39 player squad ahead of the 2026 World Rugby Nations Cup European-African-Asian Series.

Head Coach: New Zealand Simon Mannix

  • Caps updated: 26 October 2026 (pre November tests)
Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Luka Begic Hooker (2001-01-19) 19 January 2001 (age 25) 25 France Biarritz
Jason Cornelius Hooker (2000-04-21) 21 April 2000 (age 26) 0 Portugal SL Benfica / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Pedro Santiago Lopes Hooker (2003-12-15) 15 December 2003 (age 22) 5 Portugal Cascais
Nuno Mascarenhas Hooker (1998-05-18) 18 May 1998 (age 28) 35 Portugal Cascais / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Abel da Cunha Prop (2002-01-13) 13 January 2002 (age 24) 16 Portugal Lusitanos XV
Alex dos Santos Prop (2001-08-14) 14 August 2001 (age 25) 0 France Albi
Diogo Ferreira Prop (1996-10-17) 17 October 1996 (age 30) 56 France Dax
António Prim Prop (2002-12-07) 7 December 2002 (age 23) 21 Portugal Direito / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Cody Thomas Prop (1996-03-01) 1 March 1996 (age 30) 15 France Grenoble
Giorgi Turabelidze Prop (1996-11-06) 6 November 1996 (age 29) 0 Portugal VRAC / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Pedro Vicente Prop (2002-11-07) 7 November 2002 (age 23) 10 Portugal Agronomia / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Martim Bello Lock (2000-09-27) 27 September 2000 (age 26) 25 Portugal Cascais / Portugal Lusitanos XV
António Rebelo de Andrade Lock (2000-12-12) 12 December 2000 (age 25) 9 Portugal Agronomia / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Pedro Ferreira Lock (1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 (age 28) 2 Portugal Direito / Portugal Lusitanos XV
José Madeira Lock (2001-03-19) 19 March 2001 (age 25) 53 France Perpignan
Duarte Nunes Lock (2005-05-11) 11 May 2005 (age 21) 3 Portugal Direito / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Duarte Torgal Lock (1997-12-23) 23 December 1997 (age 28) 33 Portugal Direito / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Francisco Almeida Back row (2004-10-08) 8 October 2004 (age 22) 4 Portugal Belenenses / Portugal Lusitanos XV
André da Cunha Back row (2004-05-19) 19 May 2004 (age 22) 6 Portugal Belenenses / Portugal Lusitanos XV
João Granate Back row (1997-02-21) 21 February 1997 (age 29) 51 Portugal Direito / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Nicolas Martins Back row (1999-01-18) 18 January 1999 (age 27) 33 France Racing 92
José Monteiro Back row (2005-11-08) 8 November 2005 (age 20) 8 Portugal CDUL / Portugal Lusitanos XV
David Wallis Back row (1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 29) 38 Portugal Belenenses / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Tomás Amado Scrum-half (2005-09-08) 8 September 2005 (age 21) 6 Portugal Agronomia / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Hugo Camacho Scrum-half (2004-05-27) 27 May 2004 (age 22) 20 France Albi
Samuel Marques Scrum-half (1988-12-08) 8 December 1988 (age 37) 34 France Carcassonne
Hugo Aubry Fly-half (2003-01-28) 28 January 2003 (age 23) 16 Portugal Lusitanos XV
Domingos Cabral Fly-half (2001-08-16) 16 August 2001 (age 25) 8 Portugal Agronomia / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Tomás Appleton (c) Centre (1993-07-29) 29 July 1993 (age 33) 88 Portugal CDUL / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Jordan Bacon Centre (2002-08-13) 13 August 2002 (age 24) 0 Portugal Lusitanos XV
Vasco Durão Centre (2001-11-24) 24 November 2001 (age 24) 0 Portugal Cascais / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Rodrigo Marta Centre (1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 (age 26) 49 France Pau
Simão Bento Wing (2001-06-21) 21 June 2001 (age 25) 28 France Colomiers
Lucas Martins Wing (2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 23) 5 France Agen
Manuel Cardoso Pinto Wing (1998-04-07) 7 April 1998 (age 28) 49 Portugal Agronomia / Portugal Lusitanos XV
Vincent Pinto Wing (1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 (age 27) 29 France Colomiers
Raffaele Storti Wing (2000-12-19) 19 December 2000 (age 25) 39 France Grenoble
Joris Moura Fullback (2000-05-07) 7 May 2000 (age 26) 8 France Valence Romans
Manuel Vareiro Fullback (2005-01-14) 14 January 2005 (age 21) 14 France Provence

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players were also named to a squad in the last years.

Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province Last call-up
Lucas Da Silva Hooker (1997-12-19) 19 December 1997 (age 28) 0 France CA Brive2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Duarte Diniz Hooker (1995-11-08) 8 November 1995 (age 30) 18 Portugal GD Direito2023 Rugby World Cup
David Costa Prop (1999-07-05) 5 July 1999 (age 27) 36 Portugal GD Direito2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Diogo Hasse Ferreira (fr) Prop (1996-10-17) 17 October 1996 (age 30) 48 France US Dax2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Martim Souto Prop (2005-04-14) 14 April 2005 (age 21) 1 France RC Orléans2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Alex Dos Santos Prop (2001-08-14) 14 August 2001 (age 25) 0 France SC Albi2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
António Machado Santos Prop (1998-06-07) 7 June 1998 (age 28) 9 Spain Alcobendas Rugby2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Steevy Cerqueira (fr) Lock (1993-08-09) 9 August 1993 (age 33) 18 France RC Orléans2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
José Rebelo de Andrade Lock (1997-11-24) 24 November 1997 (age 28) 20 Portugal Agronomia2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Kevin Batista Lock (1995-07-24) 24 July 1995 (age 31) 4 France Stade Bagnérais2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Nicolas Fernandes Lock (2000-01-12) 12 January 2000 (age 26) 1 France RCS Rumilly2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Diego Pinheiro Ruiz (fr) Back row (2003-09-11) 11 September 2003 (age 23) 14 France CS Annonay2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Nicolas Martins Back row (1999-01-18) 18 January 1999 (age 27) 34 France Racing 922025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Vasco Baptista Back row (1996-10-26) 26 October 1996 (age 30) 17 Portugal Belenenses2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Manuel Picão Back row (1997-04-10) 10 April 1997 (age 29) 23 Portugal GD Direito2023–24 Rugby Europe International Championships
David Wallis Back row (1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 29) 32 Portugal Belenenses2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Joris Moura (fr) Fly-half (2000-05-07) 7 May 2000 (age 26) 8 France Valence Romans DR2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
José Lima Centre (1992-04-24) 24 April 1992 (age 34) 58 Portugal SL Benfica2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Gabriel Aviragnet Centre (2003-09-25) 25 September 2003 (age 23) 4 France SC Albi2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Rodrigo Marta Wing (1999-11-18) 18 November 1999 (age 26) 44 France Section Paloise2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Lucas Martins (fr) Wing (2003-01-16) 16 January 2003 (age 23) 5 France SU Agen2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals
José Paiva dos Santos Wing (2001-04-03) 3 April 2001 (age 25) 7 Portugal Belenenses2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Diogo Rodrigues Wing (2001-03-04) 4 March 2001 (age 25) 4 Portugal Belenenses2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships
Pierre Sayerse Wing (1996-06-05) 5 June 1996 (age 30) 2 France Stade Montois2023–24 Rugby Europe International Championships
Dany Antunes (fr) Fullback (1997-09-15) 15 September 1997 (age 29) 11 France OMR Marcq Rugby Lille Métropole2021–22 Rugby Europe International Championships
Simão Bento (fr) Fullback (2001-06-21) 21 June 2001 (age 25) 27 France Colomiers Rugby2025 end-of-year rugby union internationals
Nuno Sousa Guedes Fullback (1994-11-21) 21 November 1994 (age 31) 27 Portugal CDUP2025–26 Rugby Europe International Championships

EXT Player was called up to extended squad only (e.g. Training Panel, Travelling Cover)
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
OTH Player withdrew from the squad for other reasons/reasons not stated.
RET Player retired from the national team/professional rugby.
SUS Player withdrew from the squad due to suspension.

Individual all-time records

[edit]

Gonçalo Uva and Vasco Uva are the most capped players for Portugal (both 101) and Gonçalo Uva also has the record for most matches in the starting XV (95).[8][9] The highest scorer for Portugal is Gonçalo Malheiro, with 279 points.[10] Malheiro is also the player with the most drop goals (12) and penalty goals (51).[11][12] Pedro Leal holds the record for most conversions (45).[13] Rodrigo Marta with 43 tries is the player with the most tries scored.[14] Duarte Pinto has the record for most matches as a substitute, with 23 substitutions.[15] Bernardo Duarte holds the record for most matches as a substitute, without ever playing in the starting XV (14).[15]

Coaches

[edit]

Current coaching staff

[edit]
Correct as of 29 October 2026
Position Name
Head coach New Zealand Simon Mannix
Forwards coach Ireland Andi Kyriacou
Backs coach France Anthony Tesquet

Coaching history

[edit]
Name Years Tests Won Drew Lost Win percentage Source
Portugal Pedro Lynce 1976–1983 10 6 0 4 60% [16]
Portugal João Paulo Bessa 1983–1986 17 9 1 7 52.94% [17]
Portugal Vasco Lynce 1986–1989 15 4 1 10 26.67% [18]
Portugal Olegário Borges 1989–1993 14 7 0 7 50% [19]
Scotland Andrew Cushing 1993–1994 12 2 0 10 16.67% [20]
Portugal João Paulo Bessa 1994–1999 25 12 1 12 48% [21]
New Zealand Evan Crawford 1999–2001 11 3 0 8 27.27% [22]
Portugal Tomaz Morais 2001–2010 76 33 4 39 43.42% [23]
New Zealand Errol Brain 2010–2013 26 9 1 16 34.62% [24]
Portugal Frederico Sousa 2013–2014 8 2 0 6 25% [25]
Portugal João Luís Pinto 2014–2015 7 2 0 5 28.57% [26]
France Olivier Baragnon 2015–2016 3 1 0 2 33.33% [27]
Scotland Ian Smith 2016 5 0 0 5 0% [28]
Portugal Martim Aguiar 2016–2019 23 18 0 5 78.26% [29]
France Patrice Lagisquet 2019–2023 37 18 3 16 48.65% [30]
France Sébastien Bertrank 2023 0 0 0 0 0% [31]
Portugal João Mirra (interim) 2024 5 3 0 2 60% [32]
New Zealand Simon Mannix 2024– 21 13 0 8 61.9%

Last updated: 18 July 2026.

Player records

[edit]

Most caps

[edit]
# Player Pos Span Mat Pts Tries
1Gonçalo UvaLock2004–20181015010
Vasco UvaNumber 82003–20161016513
3Tomás AppletonCentre2014–889519
4Joaquim FerreiraProp1993–200787153
5António AguilarWing1999–20148311523
6João CorreiaHooker2003–201481204
7Pedro LealFullback2005–2017772655
8Diogo MateusCentre2000–2010746513
9Luís PissarraScrum-half1996–20077200
10José LimaCentre2010–717112

Last updated: Tonga vs Portugal, 18 July 2026. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most tries

[edit]
# Player Pos Span Mat Pts Tries
1Rodrigo MartaWing2018–5121543
2Raffaele StortiWing2019–3914028
3Manuel Cardoso PintoFullback2017–5012525
4António AguilarWing1999–20148311523
Gonçalo ForoWing2007–20176211523
5Tomás AppletonCentre2014–889519
7Nuno DurãoWing1983–1995439413
Diogo MateusCentre2000–2010746513
Vasco UvaNumber 82003–20161016513
10Rohan HoffmanFullback1996–2002269612
José LimaCentre2010–717112

Last updated: Tonga vs Portugal, 18 July 2026. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most points

[edit]
# Player Pos Span Mat Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1Samuel MarquesScrum-Half2012–36343689450
2João QueimadoFly-half1984–1994482695235511
3Gonçalo MalheiroFly-half1998–200741267723575
4Pedro LealFullback2005–201777265542493
5Rodrigo MartaWing2018–5121543000
6Pedro CabralFly-half2006–201136184224375
7Nuno Sousa GuedesFullback2016–47156639160
8Raffaele StortiWing2019–3914028000
9Pedro BettencourtCentre2013–202436130107220
10José Maria Vilar GomesFullback1989–200033120510241

Last updated: Tonga vs Portugal, 18 July 2026. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most points in a match

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# Player Pos Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Opposition Venue Date
1Thierry TeixeiraFly-half300091 GeorgiaPortugal Lisbon08/02/2000
2José RodriguesFly-Half262240  SwitzerlandPortugal Setúbal24/02/2018
3Gonçalo MalheiroFullback250252 SpainPortugal Coimbra23/03/2003
Jorge AbecasisFly-half250550 PolandPortugal Setúbal16/02/2019
Raffaele StortiWing255000 NetherlandsNetherlands Amsterdam10/07/2021
Samuel MarquesScrum-Half251440 BelgiumBelgium Mons07/02/2026
7Gonçalo MalheiroFullback242140 Czech RepublicPortugal Lisbon08/03/2003
8Pedro LealFly-half230170 ChileChile Santiago17/11/2012
9Pedro CabralFullback221403 Czech RepublicPortugal Lisbon16/02/2008
Manuel MartaFullback222600 Czech RepublicPortugal Caldas da Rainha23/03/2019

Last updated: Portugal vs Belgium, 7 February 2026. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most tries in a match

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# Player Pos Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Opposition Venue Date
1Raffaele StortiWing255000 NetherlandsNetherlands Amsterdam10/07/2021
2Rodrigo MartaWing204000 PolandPoland Gdynia11/02/2023
Vincent PintoWing204000 PolandPoland Gdynia11/02/2023
4Nuno GarvãoWing153000 SpainSpain Ibiza21/03/2004
Gonçalo MalheiroFly-half213300BarbariansPortugal Lisbon10/06/2004
Gonçalo ForoWing153000 GermanyGermany Heusenstamm27/02/2010
Caetano Castelo BrancoWing153000 Czech RepublicPortugal Caldas da Rainha23/03/2019
Antonio VidinhaCentre153000 Czech RepublicPortugal Caldas da Rainha23/03/2019
Rodrigo MartaWing153000 NetherlandsNetherlands Amsterdam10/07/2021
Mike TadjerHooker153000 KenyaUnited Arab Emirates Dubai12/11/2022
Hugo CamachoScrum-half153000 PolandPortugal Lisbon10/02/2024

Last updated: Portugal vs Ireland, 12 July 2025. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most matches as captain

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# Player Pos Span Mat Won Lost Draw % Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1Tomás AppletonCentre2019–present472420351.06%5010000
2João CorreiaHooker2008–2014351023228.57%102000
3Vasco UvaFlanker2006–201520513225%204000
4Francisco Pinto MagalhãesScrum-half2015–20171266050%153000
5Luís PissarraScrum-half2003–20051091090%00000

Last updated: Portugal vs Hong Kong, 15 November 2025. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Notes

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  1. ↑ Only includes test matches in which the Portuguese Rugby Federation awarded caps to the players involved, according to their official website.[6]

References

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  1. ↑ (Portuguese: Seleção Portuguesa de Rugby)
  2. ↑ "Pritchard seals win".
  3. ↑ "Georgia v Portugal grand final". 15-03-2026. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. 1 2 "Men's World Rankings". world.rugby. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  5. ↑ "International Rugby Union Statistics - Statistics for Portugal - Teams Played". Archived from the original on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  6. 1 2 "Federação Portuguesa de Rugby - Games played". Archived from the original on 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  7. ↑ "Statsguru / Team analysis / Portugal / Test matches". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2012-01-26.
  8. ↑ "Most matches". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Most starting matches". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2014-06-09.
  10. ↑ "Most points". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  11. ↑ "Most drop goals". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  12. ↑ "Most penalty goals". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  13. ↑ "Most conversions". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  14. ↑ "Most tries". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  15. 1 2 "Most substitutions". Scrum.com. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  16. ↑ "Rugby Revista" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-04-18.
  17. ↑ "XV CONTRA XV". xvcontraxv.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  18. ↑ "Xv Contra Xv: Rugby No Colégio Militar". 20 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "Olgário Borges".
  20. ↑ "Rugby Magazin" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-27.
  21. ↑ "XV CONTRA XV". xvcontraxv.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  22. ↑ "Crawford to coach Portugal".
  23. ↑ "Tomaz Morais". tomazmorais.pt. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  24. ↑ "Neozelandês Errol Brain é novo técnico dos "Lobos"". Expresso.
  25. ↑ "Frederico Sousa é o novo selecionador nacional". 20 June 2013.
  26. ↑ "João Luís Pinto é o novo selecionador nacional". 25 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Olivier Baragnon apresentado como novo selecionador de râguebi".
  28. ↑ "Ian Smith é o novo selecionador português de XV". 8 January 2016.
  29. ↑ "Martim Aguiar é o novo selecionador nacional". 13 September 2016.
  30. ↑ "Patrice Lagisquet apresentado como novo seleccionador nacional". 5 July 2019.
  31. ↑ "Sébastien Bertrank é o novo seleccionador de râguebi de Portugal". 12 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "Daniel Hourcade irá orientar Portugal no Rugby Europe Championship 2024". 4 January 2024.
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