Romanian Rugby

[FrankHeaven]

Yes, several Tier 2 countries, Romania included, will have individual votes. The voting share of regional associations will also increase. Tier 1 unions will still control over 60% of the votes but in theory the combined votes of the Tier 2 unions, regional associations and pro-reform Tier 1 nations like France or Argentina might be enough to force some changes in the future.

Interesting. I think hell will freeze over before the eight foundation unions will give up control, but you never know. It is daft that, for example, the USA has no (direct) vote even though according to World Rugby figures it has more rugby players than any country bar England and South Africa.

I presume Italy and Argentina, though tier one nations, still only have one vote as opposed to two votes for each foundation union?

 

[Croket66]

Here is the new voting system

 

[FrankHeaven]

Here is the new voting system

Thanks for that. I see that Octavian Morariu was on the committee which recommended the 'reforms' according to the official WR release.

But are you sure those numbers are correct? The criteria by which countries are awarded votes is complex, and would appear to give Japan two votes not one. There is some detailed analysis here, though I'm not sure the vote numbers they end up with are correct either.

The new governance structure seems unwieldy, with a huge amount of power vested in the executive committee, which may mean the extra votes handed out to tier two countries are little more than token. The cynic in me feels that this is an attempt to present WR as a democratic body, while in reality consolidating control in the establishment.

 

[dragos03]

Tomorrow Timisoara Saracens plays against Calvisano in the first leg of the Challenge Cup playoffs.

The good news is that there will be an official stream available here:
http://rugby-timisoara.ro/meci/ro/42/Timisoara-Saracens-RCM-UVT-vs-Rugby-Calvisano.html

 

[dragos03]

Timisoara Saracens - Calvisano 36-23
Timisoara was leading 33-6 at one point but relaxed completely in the final 10 minutes allowing the Italians to score 3 tries and still hope to qualify. I expect Timisoara to win the return leg as well though, they were clearly superior yesterday.

Romanian Cup results:
Baia Mare - CSM Bucuresti 61-11
Poli Iasi - U Cluj 3-18
Bucovina Suceava - CS Navodari 22-39
RC Barlad - RCM Galati 20-20
CSU Arad - Stejarul Buzau 0-5
CS Manastur - Stiinta Petrosani 9-12

 

[dragos03]

A really good initiative of the FRR, in partnership with DHL. The union has sent free rugby tag kits to 799 primary schools around the country, that include all the needed equipment and detailed rules of the game. Schools from counties where no form of rugby was ever played before were also included.

In other news, Oaks captain Mihai Macovei was selected in the Pro D2 team of the week for two weeks in a row. It's surprising that a player like him did not make it to the Top 14 yet.

 

[dragos03]

Steaua vs Baia Mare highlights


Results:
U Cluj - Timisoara Saracens 10-28
Dinamo - Poli Iasi 46-27
Steaua - Baia Mare 18-16
RC Barlad - Bucovina Suceava 37-13
RCM Galati - CS Navodari 14-31
Stejarul Buzau - Stiinta Petrosani 42-11
CSU Arad - CS Manastur 19-29

Navodari and Stejarul Buzau are both unbeaten in the second division of the competition and will play a playoff match for a spot in the quarterfinals where they will face a Superliga team.

 

[Osezno]

Congratulations to Timisoara Saracens for beating Calvisano and good luck in Challenge Cup next year.

 

[dragos03]

Thank you.

Timisoara Saracens have qualified for the next season of the Challenge Cup after defeating Italian champions Calvisano both at home (36-23) and away (28-17). Timisoara have won all the matches in the qualification campaign, both in the group stage and the playoffs.

 

[dragos03]

CSM Bucharest vs Steaua highlights


Surprising results this weekend in the Romanian Cup:
CSM Bucharest - Steaua 16-13 (huge win for the youngsters at CSM)
Baia Mare - U Cluj 29-16 (Cluj were leading at HT)

 

[dragos03]

Rugby Calvisano vs Timisoara Saracens 17-28 highlights:

 

[dragos03]

The final of the Romanian Cup will be played in Timisoara, the autumn test vs Fiji will also be hosted there if World Rugby agress. No doubt these decisions are a reward for Timisoara's qualification in the Challenge Cup.

Another round with close results in the Cup:
U Cluj - CSM Bucuresti 23-22
Poli Iasi - Timisoara Saracens 30-43
Dinamo - Baia Mare 22-27 (Baia Mare won after a last minute try)
Stejarul Buzau - CS Navodari 21-14 (the final of the second division teams)

Quarterfinal draw:
Baia Mare vs Stejarul Buzau
Timisoara Saracens vs CSM Bucuresti
Steaua vs Poli Iasi
Dinamo vs U Cluj

Dinamo vs Baia Mare highlights:

 

[dragos03]

Steaua vs Politehnica Iasi highlights:


Romanian Cup quarterfinal results:
Baia Mare - Stejarul Buzau 5-0 (Buzau forfeited claiming they had too many injured players)
Timisoara Saracens - CSM Bucharest 60-10 (again a very young player scored a hat-trick, this time it was winger Vlad Zaharia)
Dinamo - U Cluj 28-17
Steaua - Poli Iasi 43-3

Both semifinals will be live on Dolce Sport:
Baia Mare vs Dinamo
Timisoara Saracens vs Steaua

In other news, for the first time a national 7s championship between university teams will be played on May 22 in Bucharest, both public and private universities will participate.

 

[dragos03]

Various news:
- as part of the new structure of World Rugby, Romania become a part of the Council and will have a permanent vote.
- Ryanair will launch direct low-cost flights between Bucharest and Bristol, the gateway to Wales. Wales was the only member of the Six Nations without an air connection to Romania.
- young prop Tudor Stroe (Tarbes) has signed for Castres
- Marius Mitrea (an Italian referee of Romanian origin) has been appointed to the final of the Challenge Cup

 

[dragos03]

On May 28 there will be an interesting match in the Eastern Romanian town of Barlad between Romania A and President XV (basically another Romania A). It is part of a larger event that marks 60 years since the first rugby club was established in Barlad, that will also feature a meeting of all the former rugby players of the club, old boys and youth matches as well as the finals of the national U19 Sevens Championship.

An interesting squad of 49 players have been called for this match, they will be split in two teams (Romania A and President's XV). The squad features many talented young players (the ones already established like Pristavita were not included), with many surprises:
- 3 foreigners who will only become eligible for Romania in 2017 have been included for testing: Samoa, Fonovai and Fakaosilea
- several youngsters playing for foreign clubs have been selected. The most interesting are the Onutu brothers from ROC La Voulte – Valence and centre Dennis Perju from L'Aquila.
- there are some very young players (Boldor, Popa, Simionescu, etc), some of them haven't even played at all at Superliga level yet (Balaban, Lamboiu, Marzac)

Here is the full squad:
Props: Bogdan Neacsu (CS Dinamo), Gigi Militaru (Timisoara), Alexandru Gordas (CSA Steaua), Cosmin Rosu (CSA Steaua), Silviu Suciu (Stiinta Baia Mare), Cosmin Manole (CS Dinamo), Alexandru Telesa (U Cluj), Paul Petucher (U Cluj)
Hookers: Florin Bardasu (Stiinta Baia Mare), Tudor Butnariu (Poli Iasi), Ovidiu Cojocaru (Stiinta Baia Mare), Claudiu Marzac (Timisoara)
Locks: Andrei Diaconu (U Cluj), Vlad Rotar (U Cluj), Bogdan Doroftei (CSA Steaua), Andrei Iurea (Stiinta Baia Mare), Adi Motoc (Racing 92), Ionut Lucian Muresan (Timisoara)
Backrow: Paul Ailenei (Stiinta Baia Mare), Razvan Ilisescu (Graulhet), Cristian Chirica (Stiinta Baia Mare), Mario Alexandru Arvinte (Graulhet), Marian Gorcioaia (Timisoara), Florian Gheorghita Rosu (Baia Mare), Dorin Lazar (Timisoara)
Scrum half: Tudorel Bratu (CS Dinamo), Alexandru Tigla (CSM Olimpia), Alexandru Pălîi (CSM Știința Baia Mare), Laurentiu Cocirla (CSA Steaua)
Fly half: Ovidiu Melniciuc (U Cluj), Vladut Popa (Timisoara), Daniel Plai (Politehnica Iasi), Tudor Boldor (CSA Steaua)
Centre: Dennis Perju (L'Aquila), Sione Fakaosilea (Stiinta Baia Mare), George Paul Oprea (Stiinta Baia Mare), Ionut Balaban (CSS Barlad), Mihai Lamboiu (ACS Tomitanii), Julien Onutu (ROC La Voulte РValence F̩d̩rale 1)
Wingers: Fonovai Tangimana (Timisoara), Nicolas Onutu (ROC La Voulte РValence F̩d̩rale 1), Daniel Vladut Zaharia (Timisoara Saracens), Alexandru Petru Bucur (Stiinta Baia Mare), Robert Neagu (CSA Steaua), Marian Ispir (CSM Olimpia)
Fullback: Sabin Stratila (CSA Steaua), Luke Samoa (Stiinta Baia Mare), Marius Simionescu (Timisoara), Gabriel Conache (Timisoara)

The two teams will be coached by Eugen Apjok and Bogdan Munteanu. The match will also act as a trial for Romania A, which will play two tests in early June vs Crawshays Welsh RFC.

 

[amz]

Very good selection there which shows that selectors kept an eye on every players with potential. It's an old tradition to have such trials and was suggested for years by old time International players from generations who won the big matches in the past.

Two matches with Welsh Barbarians are a good start, I also think we should have an yearly test between Romanian A - Moldova. There won't be easy to get meaningful tests for Romania A but we must start somewhere.

 

[dragos03]

While playing against Moldova would be nice due to our ties with them and we could do it from time to time, I don't think it should become a regular fixture.

The purpose of Romania A is to develop players so they need matches against unfamiliar opponents, not Moldova who use the classic Romanian gameplan and even have a Romanian coach.

Hopefully from now on Romania A will have 3-5 games every year. Possible opponents:
- Romania All Stars (selection from the foreigners in the Superliga, these was such a match a few years ago) - easy to arrange yearly match
- Georgia A - this should be a yearly fixture that would benefit both sides. A good forward challenge.
- select sides such as England Counties, Crawshays Welsh RFC, France Federale
- second teams of some of the Pro 12 regions - Ulster Ravens, Leinster A, etc
- Tier 3 national teams. The likes of Ukraine, Hong Kong, Brazil or Madagascar are too weak to play against out first-choice team but would be good opposition for the youngsters of Romania A

 

[Tautahi]

Hey mate it's good to see Romania is taking their second national team seriously. I generally believe in having "second or A national teams" it's truly a good way to test local talent. In the pacific we have the annual Pacific Rugby Cup contested between the second national teams of Japan,Fiji,Samoa and Tonga and if we are lucky we play against all the second xv of the Australia and New Zealand super rugby teams .Question is there something similar in Europe to what we have in the Pacific?

 

[dragos03]

Sadly, there isn't. Only some of the Tier 1 countries have an annual A championship that runs at the same time with the Six Nations. The problem is that Romania is isolated from other countries with similar strength in rugby, like Georgia or Russia, the distances are very long.

Romanian Cup semifinal Timisoara Saracens vs Steaua highlights:


Romanian Cup semifinal Baia Mare vs Dinamo highlights:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN8U4bKh4AM

The final will be played in Timisoara on Saturday

 

[Tautahi]

World Rugby should sanction more tournaments for Tier 2 nations like us to allow our national A teams more games. It's essential for our development to have our young and local talent expose to a high standard rugby. Thanks for the for the feedback.