Portugal national rugby union team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Union | Federação Portuguesa de Rugby | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Lynxes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach |  Tomaz Morais |
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portugal 5 - 6 Spain (1935-04-13) |
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| Largest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Portugal 55 - 11 Netherlands (1996-11-24) |
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| Worst defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Romania 92 - 0 Portugal (1996-04-13) |
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The Portugal national rugby union team, nicknamed "os lobos" ,portuguese for "the wolves", is a third tier rugby union side representing Portugal. They first played in 1935 and now compete in the European Nations Cup. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Portugal is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby.
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[edit] European Nations Cup success
Portugal have experienced unprecedented success in recent years. They were surprise winners of the 2003-4 European Nations Cup and have continued to record impressive results, although they could only finish third in the 2005-6 event.
[edit] Sevens success
The IRB Sevens World Series circuit has allowed the Portuguese players to demonstrate their competence to the wider rugby world. The Scottish sevens side in particular have suffered at their hands on more than one occasion. In 2006-7 Portugal will compete at every IRB sevens event for the first time. They have become an established power in the abbreviated form of the game.
[edit] Professor Tomaz Morais
In 2004 Professor Tomaz Morais, coach of the Portuguese national team at both sevens and fifteen aside, 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.
[edit] IRB assistance
In 2006 it was announced that Portugal would receive a grant from the International Rugby Board (IRB) to help develop their rugby to Tier 2 standard. Few details have been released thus far regarding how the money will be spent but it is hoped it will ensure that Portuguese rugby will be able to move onto the next level.
[edit] IRB Nations Cup
In 2006 the inaugural IRB Nations Cup was hosted in Lisbon. This tournament featured Portugal, Russia, Argentina A and Italy A. It is anticipated that this will become an annual event and another medium through which the Portuguese team can develop their skills.
[edit] Notable Players
- Pedro Leal - scrumhalf/fullback.
- Gonçalo Malheiro - flyhalf
- Diogo Mateus - centre
- António Aguilar - wing
[edit] External link
- (Portuguese) Federação Portuguesa de Rugby Official Site
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