Romanian Rugby

[TRF_stormer2010]

Macovei's appeal was rejected (why did he even bother doing it...). Carpo will start at number 8, with Marius Antonescu on the bench (RWC debut). Vali Ursache will lead the Oaks in this match.

Shame on World Rugby and shame to all Tier 1 supporters who don't give a **** about the unfair treatment of the minnows and consider it normal.

I think you'll find the inconsistencies relating to citings specifically aren't restricted to tier 2 rugby sadly.

 

[FrankHeaven]

I think it's inevitable that the Six Nations will be opened up, the only question is when. The performance of every minnow at this RWC, when even Namibia or Uruguay were able to compete much better than expected, can no longer be ignored.

Sadly, that may be wishful thinking. You only have to look at the voting structure of World Rugby (16 votes for the 'big eight', 12 votes for the rest of the world) to realise that the established countries are chiefly concerned with protecting their own interests.

That said, there is a groundswell of opinion - judging by social media - that the existing 6N should expand to include other nations.

The challenge for the European 'minnows' is to come up with a structure that would allow this to happen. The obstacles include:
1. 6N fixtures currently take place when countries like George and Romania are on a winter break. Italy were included in the tournament in 2000 because they have no winter break. So for 6N countries, an expanded competition would mean significant changes to their season. Matches would have to be played during the autumn (when they have lucrative fixtures against teams from the RC) and spring.
2. Potential loss of revenue. Some have suggested a relegation play-off between the bottom 6N and the winner of the ENC. No way would Scotland, for example, countenance the possibility of playing in a 'second division' of European rugby as their revenue would drop off a cliff. This would be less of a threat if the 'top division' was expanded to eight or 10 or even 12 teams, split into two groups, but that would mean the loss of traditional annual fixtures and more fixtures against countries who are not a 'box office' attraction - which again, means loss of revenue.
3. 6N concerns about standards of the 'minnows'. Personally I think this is a flimsy excuse, and as the WC has showed, when the the 'minnows' have time together as a squad and exposure to higher playing standards, they can be more than competitive.

I think the best answer would be a top division of 10 teams, split into two groups of five, which would address the obstacles above:
- Group matches would be played in the autumn and spring, with semi-finals and final played over consecutive weekends at the end of the season, possibly staged in one European city.
- With five-team groups, and every team having a weekend off, this would allow 'cross-group' friendly fixtures, allowing traditional fixtures to be maintained. The existing 6N would also have the option of arranging friendly fixtures during the winter months.
- Bottom teams in each group would have a relegation/promotion play-off against the top teams from the division below.
- European rugby is just about competitive enough to sustain 10 teams in the top division, without any ludicrously lop-sided results, and standards would improve over time.
- The competition might work better spread over two seasons, but traditionalists may want it to stay as a single season tournament.

Anyway, that's one vision of the future. But what is important is for the 'minnows' to come together and articulate a vision which they all agree on and can present to World Rugby and the 6N with one coherent voice. That is vital. Also, the time to do it is now while the RWC is still fresh in the memory.

 

[Tony Manx]

Sadly, that may be wishful thinking. You only have to look at the voting structure of World Rugby (16 votes for the 'big eight', 12 votes for the rest of the world) to realise that the established countries are chiefly concerned with protecting their own interests.

That said, there is a groundswell of opinion - judging by social media - that the existing 6N should expand to include other nations.

The challenge for the European 'minnows' is to come up with a structure that would allow this to happen. The obstacles include:
1. 6N fixtures currently take place when countries like George and Romania are on a winter break. Italy were included in the tournament in 2000 because they have no winter break. So for 6N countries, an expanded competition would mean significant changes to their season. Matches would have to be played during the autumn (when they have lucrative fixtures against teams from the RC) and spring.
2. Potential loss of revenue. Some have suggested a relegation play-off between the bottom 6N and the winner of the ENC. No way would Scotland, for example, countenance the possibility of playing in a 'second division' of European rugby as their revenue would drop off a cliff. This would be less of a threat if the 'top division' was expanded to eight or 10 or even 12 teams, split into two groups, but that would mean the loss of traditional annual fixtures and more fixtures against countries who are not a 'box office' attraction - which again, means loss of revenue.
3. 6N concerns about standards of the 'minnows'. Personally I think this is a flimsy excuse, and as the WC has showed, when the the 'minnows' have time together as a squad and exposure to higher playing standards, they can be more than competitive.

I think the best answer would be a top division of 10 teams, split into two groups of five, which would address the obstacles above:
- Group matches would be played in the autumn and spring, with semi-finals and final played over consecutive weekends at the end of the season, possibly staged in one European city.
- With five-team groups, and every team having a weekend off, this would allow 'cross-group' friendly fixtures, allowing traditional fixtures to be maintained. The existing 6N would also have the option of arranging friendly fixtures during the winter months.
- Bottom teams in each group would have a relegation/promotion play-off against the top teams from the division below.
- European rugby is just about competitive enough to sustain 10 teams in the top division, without any ludicrously lop-sided results, and standards would improve over time.
- The competition might work better spread over two seasons, but traditionalists may want it to stay as a single season tournament.

Anyway, that's one vision of the future. But what is important is for the 'minnows' to come together and articulate a vision which they all agree on and can present to World Rugby and the 6N with one coherent voice. That is vital. Also, the time to do it is now while the RWC is still fresh in the memory.

Just what the clubs would want and just plain not agree to....another "beanfest" of international rugby in which the players they are paying are taken away from them, devaluing their games which have to be played at some stage in an already crowded season?

Why not leave alone what works and provides the finances but ensure that each of the 6N teams have to have at least one of the "minnows" teams as an opponent in November, that the Saxons tour at least one of them for a few weeks annually when the Tours Down Under are taking place, and finally have the SH teams play a match there when in Europe?

 

[FrankHeaven]

Just what the clubs would want and just plain not agree to....another "beanfest" of international rugby in which the players they are paying are taken away from them, devaluing their games which have to be played at some stage in an already crowded season?

Yes, the clubs are an important consideration, not least because they pay the wages of many 'minnows' players, in England and France anyway. The 6N could cut the number of RC fixtures they play each season. The current situation is overkill anyway.

Why not leave alone what works

But it only works for the 6N. Nobody in the rest of Europe thinks the current system is working for them.

and provides the finances but ensure that each of the 6N teams have to have at least one of the "minnows" teams as an opponent in November, that the Saxons tour at least one of them for a few weeks annually when the Tours Down Under are taking place, and finally have the SH teams play a match there when in Europe?

That was the system in the 1980s, when Romania were a strong team. But the talk of Romania coming into the 5N (as it was) proved to be just talk, even though they rolled over France, Wales and Scotland.

What is the end game here? To have a strong European-wide game? Or to have a strong 6N and a WC every four years where the 'minnows' turn up and are competitive enough to sell tickets and boost World Rugby coffers? I suspect it's the latter. If it's the former, then the only way forward is to expand the 6N to include the 'minnows', because the 'minnows' will not become truly competitive until they are inside the competition.

 

[Croket66]

1. 6N fixtures currently take place when countries like George and Romania are on a winter break. Italy were included in the tournament in 2000 because they have no winter break.

There is no winter break in Georgia. The championship goes from September to May like western countries

 

[FrankHeaven]

There is no winter break in Georgia. The championship goes from September to May like western countries

Then I'm mistaken. But obviously Russia, Romania and other central/eastern European countries do have the winter break.

 

[dragos03]

The challenge for the European 'minnows' is to come up with a structure that would allow this to happen. The obstacles include:
1. 6N fixtures currently take place when countries like George and Romania are on a winter break. Italy were included in the tournament in 2000 because they have no winter break. So for 6N countries, an expanded competition would mean significant changes to their season. Matches would have to be played during the autumn (when they have lucrative fixtures against teams from the RC) and spring.
2. Potential loss of revenue. Some have suggested a relegation play-off between the bottom 6N and the winner of the ENC. No way would Scotland, for example, countenance the possibility of playing in a 'second division' of European rugby as their revenue would drop off a cliff. This would be less of a threat if the 'top division' was expanded to eight or 10 or even 12 teams, split into two groups, but that would mean the loss of traditional annual fixtures and more fixtures against countries who are not a 'box office' attraction - which again, means loss of revenue.
3. 6N concerns about standards of the 'minnows'. Personally I think this is a flimsy excuse, and as the WC has showed, when the the 'minnows' have time together as a squad and exposure to higher playing standards, they can be more than competitive.

1. Remember that rugby is played in Romania and Georgia during the 6N season, there are ways around the weather. Romania has been playing home games on a modern stadium with a heated pitch in Cluj and in a few years dedicated rugby stadiums with heated surfaces will be built in both Bucharest and Tbilisi. Even today, Romania could play big matches on the modern National Arena in Bucharest, a 55k football stadium with a heated pitch and a roof. The easiest way to solve this would be to just move the 6N season a few weeks into the spring, to avoid the worst period of winter in Eastern Europe.
2. True but is it a good idea to kill rugby in the rest of Europe just to prevent the collapse of Scotland? Besides Romania (20 million country, sizeable TV market) and Georgia, an open system could grow rugby in other big potential markets like Spain, Germany or Russia. About the "box office attraction" - Romania vs Ireland at the RWC had the biggest number of spectators in the history of the World Cup, over 89 thousand. I don't think Italy for example is such a more interesting opponent compared to Romania.
3. The "minnows" already have a decent standard and it would improve significantly with more chances to play at a higher level.

Anything is better than the current situation: promotion/relegation playoff, 8-nations, 10-nations, whatever. But something has to change and I hope the Tier 2 nations will unite their efforts to push for it after this RWC, while the good perfomances are still fresh.

 

[dragos03]

Here's one more proof that fans wouldn't consider matches against Romania less attractive: Romania's games in the RWC pool stage sold more tickets on average than both Scotland and Italy. I'd say that many Tier 1 fans are fed up with the same opponents every year.

Pool stage total attendance
1. Wales 305.455
2. England 292.932
3. Ireland 283.140
4. Australia 268.731
5. New Zealand 261.011
6. Fiji 248.892
7. France 227.166
8. Uruguay 192.318
9. Romania 178.496
10. South Africa 174.374
11. Italy 173.989
12. Argentina 162.597
13. Canada 156.941
14. Scotland 150.757
15. Samoa 149.705
16. USA 131.935
17. Georgia 108.799
18. Tonga 104.412
19. Namibia 103.277
20. Japan 87.241

In other news, prop Mihai Lazar and number 8 Mihai Macovei were chosen in Planet Rugby's best XV of week 4, with lock Valentin Poparlan mentioned as a backup.

 

[dragos03]

FRR President Harry Dumitras told a Romanian newspaper that Tier 1 tests for Romania from November 2016 are almost certain and that Romania and Georgia will try to force an expansion of the Six Nations to 8 teams at the congress in London on October 25-26, even if the chances are slim.

Lazar's unlikely kick and chase against Italy:

 

[dragos03]

Romanian clubs are in serious trouble after the RWC. A lot of their budget comes from the local authorities and now most of the financing was stopped after some mayors were arrested for corruption, while the mechanism that was used to finance the clubs was also considered illegal.

The best club, Timisoara Saracens, has threatened last week to withdraw from the league and the Challenge Club qualifiers. Apparently they have now found enough private funding to continue until the end of the year and stay in both competitions. At CSM Bucharest, the situation is dire after the arrest of Bucharest mayor Sorin Oprescu. The club's president has resigned, they have lost most of their best players and there are rumours that the club will be closed.

It's unclear what will happen to the Superliga next season if these clubs will not be able to compete. I've heard a rumour that the FRR considers reducing the professional standard of the league and promoting the best two clubs from the second division (Iasi and Navodari). Anyway, this looks like a huge crisis of our domestic rugby and I expect many of the best players in the league, both foreigners and Romanians, to leave.

In other news, lock Johan van Heerden made the headlines after he apologized to the referee for his yellow card in the Italy match:

 

[dragos03]

According to rumours, all the players of Timisoara Saracens have accepted to stay at the club and have their wages reduced by 50% until the current financial situation of the club will be solved. Many of them had offers from other clubs, in particular Fijian prop Manasa Saulo and lock Valentin Poparlan.
Edit: NZ scrum half Hayden O'Donnell is the only player who has refused the wage reduction and was released by the club. On his position Timisoara has international Valentin Calafeteanu and youngster Eduard Ciaparii.

The interim mayor of Bucharest has announced that CSM will continue without foreign players and will invest in a stronger academy to produce more local talent.

The FRR will be part of a massive program started by the Romanian Olympic Committee (led by Alin Petrache) to promote 10 sports and create a national competition at that level in a total of 6000 schools across the country.

 

[dragos03]

Baia Mare has signed Fijian international prop Waisea Nailago (he can apparently play on any position in the front row). It's interesting that another Fijian prop (Manasa Saulo) has improved enormously after joining a Romanian club, let's see if Nailago will do the same.

 

[dragos03]

FRR president Harry Dumitras claims that the Oaks will tour either the Americas or Oceania next summer. The WR Nations Cup will still be played in Bucharest in June but Romania will enter with an official A side. There will also be 3 home tests in November.

The next season of the ENC, which doesn't count for RWC qualification, will be treated like a development competition to test some young players.

 

[psychic duck]

FRR president Harry Dumitras claims that the Oaks will tour either the Americas or Oceania next summer. The WR Nations Cup will still be played in Bucharest in June but Romania will enter with an official A side. There will also be 3 home tests in November.

The next season of the ENC, which doesn't count for RWC qualification, will be treated like a development competition to test some young players.

Probably all good ideas. WR have decided Nations Cup will be used as their guinea pig for some experimental trial laws next year, good idea to play some proper tests against harder opposition. Only issue is availability in June is often hard for Eastern Europeans.

 

[Jayatron]

Probably all good ideas. WR have decided Nations Cup will be used as their guinea pig for some experimental trial laws next year, good idea to play some proper tests against harder opposition. Only issue is availability in June is often hard for Eastern Europeans.

Has anyone heard anything else about reorganising the international season to avoid this/

Also, dragos any more news about the Romanian League, corruption and its possible closure

 

[dragos03]

I think a bit of pressure on clubs from World Rugby will easily solve availability issues in June for Romania and Georgia.

The latest news about the financial situation of the clubs seem to be positive:
- the mayor of Timisoara wants to unite the rugby club with a few others like handball into an umbrella "municipal club", which could legally be financed by the city hall. This move has already been voted by the local council.
- at CSM Bucharest (already a multi-sports municipal club), the president said the rugby teams would have to be closed unless the city hall increased this year's budget. However, the municipality did significantly increase the sports budget last week, so hopefully the situation is now stable.
- in Iasi, the city hall has decided to double the budget of the rugby club. As a result, the local club Poli Iasi might be able to consider promotion to the Superliga next season (they have won the second division several times in the past but have refused promotion due to a lack of funds).

Results this weekend, last restant games of the regular season:
Steaua - Baia Mare 26-21 (this surprise win did not change the rankings but should give Steaua a lot of confidence)
Timisoara Saracens - U Cluj 45-16

Final rankings after the regular season
[TABLE="width: 568"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD="align: center"]1
[/TD]
[TD="width: 140, align: left"]Timisoara Saracens RCM-UVT[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]8[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]310[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]190[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]+120[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]34[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]38[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD="width: 140, align: left"]CSM Stiinta Baia Mare[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]275[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]180[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]+95[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]8[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="width: 140, align: left"]CSA Steaua Bucuresti[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]250[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]220[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]+30[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]26[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]30[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="width: 140, align: left"]CSM Olimpia Bucuresti [/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]205[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]214[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-9[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="width: 140, align: left"]CS Dinamo[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]182[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]260[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-78[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="width: 140, align: left"]U Cluj[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]149[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]307[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]-158[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Saracens Timisoara and Baia Mare have qualified for the semifinals and will play at home.
The other two semifinalists will be decided after these matches:
Steaua vs U Cluj
CSM Bucuresti vs Dinamo

Timisoara vs U Cluj highlights:

 

[dragos03]

Since apparently the Oaks will test a number of youngsters in the next ENC, here's a list of players who deserve a chance in my opinion:

Loosehead
Constantin Pristavita (Baia Mare) - already a proven player
Tudor Stroe (Tarbes) - big prospect apparently
Ionel Badiu (Carcassonne)

Hooker
Florin Bardasu (Baia Mare)
Alex Oancea (Baia Mare)

Tighthead
Alex Tarus (Timisoara) - did pretty well at the RWC
Alex Gordas (CSM Bucuresti)
Paul Petucher (U Cluj)

Lock
Marius Antonescu (Tarbes)
Lucian Muresan (Timisoara)
Andrei Bucurescu (Dinamo)

Back row
Vlad Nistor (Castres) - he should be the leader of the next generation
Razvan Ailenei (Baia Mare)
Cristian Murgoci (U Cluj) - one of the best players in the league, he deserves a chance
Vasile Dragos (CSM Bucuresti)
Adrian Motoc (Racing Metro) - very young but he was really impressive in the U19 championship

Scrum half
Tudorel Bratu (Dinamo) - boosted the Oaks in his short RWC appearance
Alexandru Palii (Baia Mare)

Fly half
Radu Ludosan (Bourg en Bresse) - a youngster must be forced on this position, I'd go with radu because he learned his rugby in France

Centre
Attila Septar (Brive) - has refused to play for the Oaks in the past but I heard he changed his mind after the RWC
Florin Ionita (Steaua)
Vasilica Pascu (Steaua)
George Iacob (Dinamo)

Wing
Ionut Dumitru (Steaua) - should have been at the RWC
Adrian Apostol (Baia Mare) - good in attack, maybe he will also learn how to tackle
Alexandru Porojan (Steaua)
Daniel Zaharia (Timisoara) - the next big thing

Fullback
Sabin Stratila (Steaua)
Gabriel Conache (Timisoara)


Foreigners who become eligible and could be useful for Romania:
- Luke Samoa (NZ, Baia Mare, can cover fly half or fullback) - he's not young but he's a good player and could fill a critical position for a few years
- Tangimana Fonovai (Tonga, Timisoara, can play centre or wing) - young and he's an absolute beast. Could be a real asset for the Oaks.
- Stephen Shennan (NZ, Timisoara, wing) - very fast, a good tryscorer
- Eseria Vueti (Fiji, Steaua, n8) - amazing back row, very versatile, I was surprised Fiji didn't cap him so far
- Holoia Feofaaki (Tonga, Dinamo, can play lock or back row) - a physical, rampaging forward

 

[dragos03]

Superliga quarterfinal results:

Steaua - U Cluj 48-8
Tries: Danut Dumbrava, Alex Grigore (2), Ravulo Malakai, Ionut Niacsu, Robert Dascalu, Eseria Vueti, Bogdan Doroftei / Romulus Boar

CSM Bucuresti - Dinamo 27-22 (after extra time)
Tries: Onal Agiacai, Iacob Nichita / Siaosi Kata

The semifinals will be:
Saracens Timisoara vs CSM Bucuresti
Baia Mare vs Steaua

Shocking results in the last round of the second division playoffs:
RCM Galati - CS Navodari 20-15
Stiinta Petrosani - Poli Iasi 18-12

With both favourites (Iasi and Navodari) defeated, Stiinta Petrosani is the surprise winner of the second division. It's very unlikely that this poor struggling club will have enough funds to play at pro standards in the Superliga.

Other news:
- Steaua has signed tighthead prop Silviu Vasiliu, he was a starter today
- fullback Luke Samoa has extended his contract with Baia Mare by two years

 

[dragos03]

Steaua vs U Cluj 48-8 highlights


The data for TV audiences during the RWC has been released and show that an unprecedent numbers of viewers have watched the competition this year. The Digi Sport channels (they had the RWC rights) will now broadcast more matches from the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup than they have initially planned, hopefully the ratings will remain high.

In other news, veteran flanker Ovidiu Tonita has signed for Carcassonne (Pro D2).

 

[Chevalier]

Bucuresti Wolves no more?

Why didn´t the Buicuresti Wolves take part on the qualification play-offs? By now the romanian champion will take part?