Hi all new poster here,
I've never really followed Romanian rugby (just at world cups really) so I was wondering what people's hopes and expectations are for the future (for Romanian rugby).
As a side note, I will be following the 'Six Nations B' as I've heard good things about teams like Romania, Spain, Russia and Georgia. What is romania's team like for this competition?
Welcome aboard. I've become a follower of Romanian rugby for reasons I can't quite explain and enjoy watching some of their domestic league (go Steaua!). I can't speak too much (or with much knowledge) about the Six Nations B (REC) squad for Romania, although it looks like they are picking a near first choice backline for this. Understandable as World Cup qualification is at stake depending on REC results (over the next two seasons?).
Spain and Germany are to my mind improving fast. Russia are an enigma, with unusually strong performances at club level that are simply not replicated by the same players in a national shirt. Romania should still have the edge against all these teams after fairly comprehensive victories against stronger sides in November, but it is far from certain and will result in entertaining and attractive rugby (weather permitting). Georgia are a step ahead and the improvement in Romanian backs, to my mind at least, doesn't quite seem to be being replicated in Romanian forwards. So Georgia may manage to still dominate there. But on a good day, in a home fixture, I think this Romanian team could compete with an improving Georgia, although as underdogs. Long term, I see the gap between Georgia and their REC rivals closing, as Russia, Romania and Spain are well ahead of Georgia in understanding that future success on rugby is dependent on good play amongst the backs rather than purely on brute force in the forwards.
Focussing on Romania I'm encouraged by what I see in Romania with the Superliga. The standard is variable and much of it is significantly below the top level of the Russian top league, but I get the impression there is a lot of thought going into how to combine improving the Romanian national side, with providing an entertaining domestic league. There are definitely signs of significant young talent coming through the Superliga and knocking on the door of the international side and a determination for both forwards and backs to be comfortable with ball in hand. What may hold them back in my opinion is that the Superliga benefits from having more competitive teams, and continues to expand from 6, to 7, to 8 teams. However, this dilutes the talent in each side and arguably means that international players (most of whom play in the domestic league) are playing in lower quality sides against lower quality sides (compared to Scotland and Italy for example who have almost all their international talent in two club sides, which means they are playing at as high a level as possible). I do agree with an expanded Superliga though if the sport is to grow in Romania, so it would be a sensible price to pay if my analysis is correct. There are also now a couple of decent calibre coaches in the Superliga, which can only be a good thing and Rugby Europe structures give Superliga sides the potential of access to the Challenge cup.
Extension of the residency rule will hurt Romania perhaps more than any other international side (other than Japan) in my opinion and will strengthen the Pacific Islands, so I expect the gap between them to grow in the short to medium term. However, I don't see the gap widening between Romania and Georgia, or Italy (infact, probably the reverse) and expect them to maintain their gap on USA and Canada. Whether they can knock on the door of a competitive top 12 will depend on who replaces their current coach (expect to happen this year).
The REC will be fascinating to watch. Georgia are already qualified for the RWC, so can experiment. However, they will be desperate to win the competition so that they can say "We need the 6N as we've won the REC 7 times in a row". The concern is every other team will play weakened sides against Georgia as I believe results against them will not impact on RWC qualification.
Hopefully Dragos and amz will be along to correct my false assumptions!
