Dark Horses

Rugby Union | Touch Rugby

They are an (inclusive) rugby team from Lisbon, created on September 5, 2009 by the founder Filipe de Almeida Santos and 30 other people. The first meeting was at Praça das Flores and the first training session at Parque da Quinta das Conchas.

The team, in addition to having an important component of integration and social inclusion, competes in the 3rd Division National Championship, in the National Touch Rugby Circuit, in the European Championship, known as the Union Cup, in the World Championship known as the Bingham Cup, in the Pride In Touch World tournament, and occasionally in other national and international tournaments.

In 2024, more than 60 athletes will participate.

Games and tournaments

Follow the games and tournaments here, with information on dates, locations and event formats.

The calendar is updated regularly so you always have access to the latest news.

View calendar

Trainings

  • Union training location

    Regimento de Artilharia Anti-Aérea Nº1, Queluz

    Monday : 8:30pm - 10:00pm

    Friday : 8:30pm - 10:00pm

    Estádio da cidade universitária

    (Physical conditioning)

    Wednesday : 8:30pm - 10:00pm

  • Touch training location

    Centro de Treino de Rugby do Jamor

    Monday : 8:00pm - 9:30pm

    Estádio da cidade universitária

    (Physical conditioning)

    Wednesday : 8:30pm - 10:00pm

    Regimento de Artilharia Anti-Aérea Nº1, Queluz

    Friday : 8:30pm - 10:00pm

  • Coordination

    Team Manager

    Terry Martins

    Coordinators

    Bruno Carriço

    David Alligator

    David Silverio

    Guilherme Martins

    Louis Silva

    Ricardo Nogueira

    Rui Agrião

    Marta Lopes

    Miguel Russo

  • Coaches

    Union

    Joseph

    Terry

    Francisco Godinho

    Touch

    David Alligator

    Miguel Russo

History

Important events

September 2024 - 10th place at Pride in Touch in Amsterdam

May 2024 - 3rd place Hoaglang Plate - Bingham Cup Roma 2024

April 2023 - 1st Place Bowl Tier 3 - Union Cup Birmingham 2023

April 2017 - 7th place in the Union Cup Madrid 2017

May 2016 - 1st place Bowl at the 2016 Bingham Cup in Nashville (joint team with the World Barbarians)

May 2015 - 4th place in the Union Plate at the 2015 Union Cup in Brussels

May 2014 - 1st place in the 10th Anniversary Tournament of the Les Gaillards team in Paris(see video)

January 2014 - 3rd place in the Winter season of the National Championship for Emerging Teams ( see news )

May 2013 – 3rd place at the 2013 Union Cup European Championship in Bristol, UK, in the X's division

February 2013 – 3rd place in the Winter Tournament of the National Championship of Emerging Teams 2012/13 (see news)

October 2012 - Participation in the television program "Toca a usar" on SIC (see video)

July 2012 - 1st participation in Figueira Beach Rugby , an international beach rugby event in Figueira da Foz (see photos)

May 2012 - 1st participation in the World Championship - Bingham Cup . (see video)

October 2011 - 1st participation in the National Championship of Emerging Teams in Vila da Moita (see photos)

July 2011 - The Dark Horses become a team affiliated with the Portuguese Rugby Federation through the BJWHF Sports Club

June 2011 - 1st participation in the European Union Cup Championship in Amsterdam (see video)

January 2011 - Premiere of the documentary "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun" on RTP2, which portrays a little of Dark Horses (see trailer)

November 2011 - Dark Horses 2012 Calendar Release (see photos)

September 2010 - Premiere of the documentary "Boys Just Wanna Have Fun" at Cinema São Jorge in Lisbon, at the Queer Festival, produced by Mínima Ideia for RTP2. (watch trailer)

July 2010 - 1st participation in the Pitch Beach 2010 tournament in Lisbon organized by BJWHF Sports Club (see photos)

May 2010 - 1st friendly match with the similar team Oporto Spartans

Some reasons to join us

Stay in good physical shape

Training with us is a great way to improve your fitness and is less boring than running on a treadmill or lifting weights in the gym. Whether it’s strength, endurance, speed, coordination or agility, you can progress with us.

Make new friends

We are a friendly and welcoming group, both in and out of training. Those who join us will have plenty of opportunities to socialize, whether at training sessions, tournaments, games or social events such as dinners and nights out. There are options to suit all tastes, the most special being the annual team building.

Compete

That's what athletes do. Sometimes we lose, sometimes we win, but it's in competition that we excel and help our teammates excel. Whether it's in national or international competitions, against very competent teams, which motivates us to return to training with even more energy! We compete against traditional teams, but also against other inclusive teams.

Meet people from all over the country and all over Europe

We have games and tournaments with teams from all over the country and all over Europe. Even before you play, you will know that you have friends in so many places... Amsterdam,
Arcos, Madrid, Carcavelos, Lousada, Guarda, Manchester, Moita, Porto, Sines, Sobreda, Tondela and Tomar are just some of the places where we played. Even if not all of these places are at the top of your list, we had a great time in all of them.

Celebrate individual difference

It doesn't matter who you are. Experienced, inexperienced, fat, thin, gay, straight, tall, short,
or your gender… It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played, if you think you’re no good at it or if you have no excuses to give. Come and try training with us and then you’ll decide if rugby is for you.

Being part of a big family

As well as having fun, we offer a space where everyone can feel safe and cared for, as if they were part of a team. We are all about rugby and we are proud of who we are and of helping others feel the same way. Even if you can’t or don’t want to play, this is a great opportunity to support us.

Do you want to play with us?

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