The Campeonato Nacional de Rugby Divisão de Honra (more commonly known as the Divisão de Honra) is Portugal's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The Divisão de Honra Championships are organised by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby (Portuguese Rugby Federation) and currently consists of 12 teams. The last placed team in the competition is relegated at the end of the season to the Campeonato Nacional de Rugby I Divisão (Portugal's second level of men's rugby union) with one team from the second-tier competition promoting to the Divisão de Honra.
Format The Divisão de Honra season takes place between September and March, with three teams being randomly drawn into four groups, playing each other home and away twice for a total of 6 matches per group (24 matches in total). Points are awarded according to the following: 4 points for a win 2 points for a draw 1 bonus point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match 1 bonus point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
The highest placed teams with the highest number of points within each group will meet each other in a round-robin play-off to determine the champions of the Divisão de Honra while the two bottom placed teams in each group will play in a round-robin play-out to determine which team (that finishes last place) will be relegated in the respective season.
Promotion and relegation The bottom team in the relegation play-out is relegated to the Campeonato Nacional de Rugby I Divisão, while the team that finishes 1st in the second tier of rugby union competitions in Portugal will replace the latter.
Current Teams
Stadia and locations Team Manager Captain Stadium Capacity Académica Lodie Van Staden António Salgueiro Estádio Municipal Sérgio Conceição 2500 Agronomia Luís Pissarra Francisco Cabral Tapada da Ajuda 500 Belenenses João Mirra Tomás Sequeira Belém Rugby Park 500 Benfica Martim Aguiar Tomás Picado Lisbon University Stadium 1500 Cascais Gabriel Ascárate António Vidinha Estádio Municipal Dramático Cascais 1000 CDUL Kane Hancy Tomás Appleton Estádio Universitário de Lisboa 8000 CDUP Francisco Vareta Tomás Marrana Estádio Universitário do Porto 1500 Direito Bernardo Mota Duarte Diniz Complexo Desportivo Miguel Nobre Ferreira 2500 RC Montemor João Baptista Malta Parque Desportivo Municipal 500 RC Santarém 500 São Miguel João Uva Robert Delai Bulldog Rugby Park 800 C. R. Técnico António Manzoni de Sequeira Rodrigo Bento Campo das Olaias 800
Champions Season Champion Game Second Place Third Place Fourth Place 1st before playoffs Ref1958/59 Belenenses #11959/60 Benfica #11960/61 Benfica #21961/62 Benfica #31962/63 Belenenses #21963/64 CDUL #1Belenenses1964/65 CDUL #2Belenenses1965/66 CDUL #3Académica1966/67 CDUL #4Académica1967/68 CDUL #5Benfica1968/69 CDUL #6Académica1969/70 Benfica #4Técnico1970/71 CDUL #71971/72 CDUL #81972/73 Belenenses #31973/74 CDUL #91974/75 Belenenses #41975/76 Benfica #51976/77 Académica #11977/78 CDUL #101978/79 Académica #21979/80 CDUL #11BenficaDireitoAcadémica1980/81 Técnico #1CDULAcadémicaCDUP1981/82 CDUL #12AcadémicaBenficaDireito1982/83 CDUL #13AcadémicaBelenensesDireito 1983/84 CDUL #141984/85 CDUL #151985/86 Benfica #61986/87 Cascais #11987/88 Benfica #71988/89 CDUL #161989/90 CDUL #171990/91 Benfica #81991/92 Cascais #21992/93 Cascais #3BenficaBelenensesCDUL1993/94 Cascais #4DireitoBenficaCDUL1994/95 Cascais #5BelenensesAcadémicaCDUL1995/96 Cascais #6CDULBelenensesLousã1996/97 Académica #3CascaisCDULTécnico1997/98 Técnico #2DireitoAcadémicaCascais1998/99 Direito #1AcadémicaTécnicoCDUP1999/00 Direito #2AgronomiaTécnicoCDUP2000/01 Benfica #9DireitoAgronomiaBelenenses2001/02 Direito #3CDUPBenficaAcadémica2002/03 Belenenses #5DireitoCDUPAgronomia2003/04 Académica #4AgronomiaDireitoBelenenses2004/05 Direito #4AgronomiaBelenensesBenfica2005/06 Direito #522-06BelenensesAgronomiaBenficaBelenenses2006/07 Agronomia #115-08DireitoCDULCDUPAgronomia2007/08 Belenenses #622-21AgronomiaCDULBenficaAgronomia2008/09 Direito #632-25AgronomiaCDULBelenensesAgronomia2009/10 Direito #722-12AgronomiaCDULBelenensesAgronomia2010/11 Direito #809-03BelenensesAgronomiaCDULCDUL2011/12 CDUL #1823-15AgronomiaDireitoAcadémicaCDUL2012/13 Direito #917-09CDULBelenensesAgronomiaCDUL2013/14 CDUL #1919-15DireitoTécnicoBelenensesDireito2014/15 Direito #1026-19CDULTécnicoAgronomiaCDUL2015/16 Direito #1111-06CDULCascaisTécnicoCDUL2016/17 CDUL #2025-21AgronomiaDireitoCascaisAgronomia2017/18 Belenenses #717-09AgronomiaCascaisDireitoAgronomia2018/19 Agronomia #218-10BelenensesTécnicoCDULBelenenses2019/20Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in PortugalBelenenses2020/21 Técnico #315-11DireitoBelenensesCDULDireito2021/22 Belenenses #831-08DireitoCascaisCDULBelenenses2022/23 Direito #1231-23CascaisAgronomiaBenficaCascais2023/24 Belenenses #919-18AgronomiaBenficaDireitoBelenenses2024/25 Belenenses #10CascaisDireitoSão Miguel2025/26 Benfica #10CascaisDireitoCDUL
Club Titles Years wonCDUL201964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 2012, 2014, 2017Direito121999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2023Benfica101960, 1961, 1962, 1970, 1976, 1986, 1988, 1991, 2001, 2026Belenenses101959, 1963, 1973, 1975, 2003, 2008, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2025Cascais61987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996Académica41977, 1979, 1997, 2004Técnico31981, 1998, 2021Agronomia22007, 2019
Head Coach Years won João Mirra2018, 2022, 2024, 2025 João Paulo Bessa1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 Frederico Sousa2009, 2010, 2019 Martim Aguiar2013, 2015, 2016 Daniel Hourcade2005, 2006 Tomaz Morais1999, 2000 António Aguilar2026 Enrique Pichot2023 Kane Hancy2021 Jack Farrer2017 Damian Steele2014 Luís Cassiano Neves2012 Aaron Jones2011 Bryce Bevin2008 Ricardo Sequeira2007 Rui Carvoeira2004 Marcelo Lavoine2003 Dídio de Aguiar2002 José Mendes da Silva2001 José Paixão1998 Sérgio Franco1997 Nuno Durão1996
See also Campeonato Nacional de Rugby I Divisão Campeonato Nacional de Rugby II Divisão Taça de Portugal de Rugby Supertaça de Portugal de Rugby Copa Ibérica de Rugby/Taça Iberica de Rugby Rugby union in Portugal
References
External links Portuguese Rugby Federation Official Website