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Sounds like you will live to see a Tier 1 test in Romania after all! Roll on 2020! :D

So glad Romania are specifically mentioned in this revised calendar although you'll have to keep fighting off the other REC nations by the sound of things.

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Sounds like you will live to see a Tier 1 test in Romania after all! Roll on 2020! :D

So glad Romania are specifically mentioned in this revised calendar although you'll have to keep fighting off the other REC nations by the sound of things.
 
Are these games to be played in Romania? I was under the impression that they would would be playing away to tier 1 sides each time

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My bad, I just had a look at the in-detail plans
 
I'll believe this when I see it. If we play a Tier 1 test in 2020, it would be the first after no less than 14 years!

It's great that Romania is specifically mentioned in the release but the frequency of these matches is not. Normally, there should be one every year but who knows.
 
Super Liga kicks back this week (local timezone) with Round 8:

24.03 at 14:00 : CS Dinamo Bucuresti - CSM Bucuresti (Dolce Sport TV)
25.03 at 14:00 : CS Universitatea Cluj - CSA Steaua Bucuresti (Dolce Sport TV)
26.03 at 14:00 : CS Politehnica Iasi - CSM Stiinta Baia Mare (rugbytv.ro)
 
New signings for Steaua
- lock Ilia Surguladze (Armia Tbilisi)
- flyhalf Petelesio Oneone (Tonga U20 & Tonga A)
- centre Suniuta Fihaki (Tonga U20)

Iasi seem to have lost all their south africans and moldovan players

Dinamo signed 2 georgians, prop Giorgi Tsutskiridze and winger Davit Gulitashvili (Georgia U20), both previously played for Kharebi Rustavi in georgian second division
 
Round 8 results:
Dinamo - CSM Bucharest 24-25
U Cluj - Steaua 3-38
Poli Iasi - Baia Mare 7-48

Iasi did not lose all of its Moldovans (at least Orghianu is still at the team) but is in a dire financial situation. As far as I understand, the city's budget was not approved yet, so the club has no budget either. They have apparenly signed 7 South Africans (some of them also played last year for Iasi) and 2 Namibian internationals, but they will only arrive after the budget is fixed.

As far as I could find, Dinamo's Giorgi Tsutskiridze comes from Kochebi Bolnisi.
 
Worrying news about Iasi and a reminder of how fragile things might be economically for some of these clubs. Losing the home game to Spain due to weather probably didn't help either. I read that Navadori might decline to join Superliga next season too? There is no point rushing it if a side is not ready and stable.

In brighter news, the Rugby Romania feed has started doing full match highlights. Hopefully they'll stop putting the scores in the video ***les (highlights are a lot more enjoyable when you don't know the score). CSM's entirely predictable ( :p) march to the ***le continues, thanks to an unusual finish!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaUxYZo5uCk
 
Dinamo's fullback scored a very long range penalty in the first half from about 55 m, but missed a central one from 20 m in the final minute...
 
Super Liga 9th Round:

1st April: Steaua Bucuresti 39 - 25 Dinamo
Highlights: https://www.rugbytv.ro/2017/04/02/superliga-cec-bank-highlights-csa-steaua-cs-dinamo-39-25.html

Dinamo wasn't able to put a serious opposition in the first half but scored tries in the second one.


2nd April: CSM Bucuresti 41 - 21 Poli Iasi
full match:
https://www.privesc.eu/Arhiva/75308...olitehnica-Iasi--SuperLiga-CEC-BANK-2016-2017

A spectacular match with seven tries. Despite financial problems and a thin bench due to injuries and lack of money, Poli Iasi gave a vigorous reply hosts attacked whenever he had the opportunity.


CSM Stiinta Baia Mare - RC Timisoara Saracens was postponed for 3rd May due to the fact that Timisoara was involved in qualifying competition for Challenge Cup.
 
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The inevitable CSM ***le victory bandwagon continues to gather pace! :lol:

I'm not a great believer in age grade rugby being an indicator of future success, but still, it is disappointing to see Romania lose at home to Portugal and Russia (albeit Portugal then went on to defeat Spain that I think included some ). Especially disappointing after the kick-ass music for the world's most elderly and fearsome rugby coach, Lynn Howells!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HfgdbKi8dA

At least from what I have read the Superliga and Romanian union is aware of the importance of developing young Romanian talent, so hopefully they will move in the right direction and the gradual improvement we are seeing with the senior side will be replicated at younger ages.
 
I'm still nervous about it. Although FRR acknowledged that they have to do something, very little was in fact made. True, they appointed a very experienced coach, Apjok from Baia Mare for this generation but he didn't seem able to bring anything new. In fact, this generation lost very close to teams like Portugal or Spain in previous encounters, now it seems they regressed result wise.

Coach is saying that players don't have much game time with better intensity and that the players aren't well enough developed at club level. I don't buy this anymore. It's FRR/staff's job to arrange matches. They could have played with SL clubs from Bucharest or second Division clubs. The defense, non-tackling or too high tackles, lack of ideas on three quarters if is not coming something from no. 10, the lack of courage to assume a phase (likely also because of the screams from the bench/stands by staff) etc etc these are all FRR/staff's mistakes...and they keep going with the same coaches from clubs, rotating them from generation to generation. Turns out that bringing an experienced coach of SL club doesn't help...you need specialist coaches for this level. The fact that they used under 19 players (8 or 9) or that the morale crumbles after the loss vs Portugal (which was a close one indeed) are just petty excuses and, again, is an issue of the staff.
 
I think most of us don't care about junior results any more, we always underperform. The FRR doesn't even name a full-time coach for these teams, it's always about "jobs for the boys". I actually think this is a generation with many talented players, they just couldn't play as a team. They were better than the eventual champions Portugal and should have won that match, against Russia there just wasn't any motivation left.

Player development in Romania takes place at Superliga level and the clubs will refine the skills of some of these kids.

Even with a poor backline, I thought Boldor was outstanding and basically carried the entire team, probably one of the best players of the tournament. Howells must integrate him in the senior national team as soon as possible. FRR must also make sure that these U20 props get to play in the Superliga, they looked like solid scrummagers.
 
Frontrowers will play in next U20 team, they're one year younger.

Yes I do agree that individually, I think most of our players are better than Portuguese ones but failed to play as a team which only confirms my statement that is a staff problem. I liked Boldor too along with Simionescu, Iftimciuc, Chirica, Lamboiu and Iliuta who's 19 yo so he'll play with next U20 squad too. I actually like this team very much but I think it was horribly prepared. I don't buy the lack of motivation thing...
 
Well i only watched the game against portugual and i have to say Romania dominated the game.The difference was that Portugual has a very good defense (last play of the game) while Romania are good at atacking but lack in defensive skills (the 100m try was mostly because of missed tackles and bad defense).Albeit this i know that Romanain players will become better seniors, mostly because of how physicall they will get in a few years.As a former portuguese international i know our players wont be as big as yours.
 
Portugal vs Belgium is one of my most anticipated matches of the summer along with Kenya vs Germany and Romania's visit to Japan.

Highlights of Steau vs Dinamo.

https://youtu.be/UEnUyLWZgjA

Glad to read Boldor wasn't playing probably due to involvement in U20s, although with CSM's rise there probably isn't much advantage in finishing first rather than second or third. Concerned Steau still seem a little weak upfront on the evidence of these highlights. Did they sign any decent forwards? I think the other playoff contenders will be able to bully them a little up front. Or am I being too hard on them?
 
Well i only watched the game against portugual and i have to say Romania dominated the game.The difference was that Portugual has a very good defense (last play of the game) while Romania are good at atacking but lack in defensive skills (the 100m try was mostly because of missed tackles and bad defense).Albeit this i know that Romanain players will become better seniors, mostly because of how physicall they will get in a few years.As a former portuguese international i know our players wont be as big as yours.

First, welcome on these forums! Great to have a test player here! Maybe you can post from time to time news from Portuguese rugby! Since you're a former international, by any chance did you worked with a Romanian coach nicknamed Mao back in 90s?

I was impressed by few things of Portugal team. They seemed to use the anthem like some sort of haka, to stimulate uphold them. Then the team work was best from competition, they were like mechanism and I liked the way they dealt with Spanish dominance in some key moments of the match, reminded me of Kiwis. Last but not the least, it is a very technical team, have very good tackling technique and they knew the basics of rugby very well which allowed them to have a simple but very effective game plan and get out of difficult situation with cold blood.

I also agree about your opinion on match between Romanian and Portugal. The difference was made by the respective try which was first a problem of not tackling and secondly a problem regarding the players' position in defense after own kick ... they lost the positioning pattern...a thing I noticed in few other phases. That was, simplifying, the main difference: Portugal was more of a team than ours and managed to defeat a squad that didn't have good team work although have some better individual players. I liked Portuguese no.1 very much, awesome player.

It is frustrating really, especially with such a good generation and after previous failures to see that you keep doing the same mistake because of staff. I don't buy the excuse that the players were over motivated or after losing to Portugal they morale crumbled, this is staff's business. I also don't buy the excuse that they have gaps in preparation from clubs, at this age is also the NT staff responsability to make them special training programs ..these guys didn't come out of nowhere, they were also in U18 sides.


Portugal vs Belgium is one of my most anticipated matches of the summer along with Kenya vs Germany and Romania's visit to Japan.

Highlights of Steau vs Dinamo.

https://youtu.be/UEnUyLWZgjA

Glad to read Boldor wasn't playing probably due to involvement in U20s, although with CSM's rise there probably isn't much advantage in finishing first rather than second or third. Concerned Steau still seem a little weak upfront on the evidence of these highlights. Did they sign any decent forwards? I think the other playoff contenders will be able to bully them a little up front. Or am I being too hard on them?

I am also looking forward to those matches. Although it may benefit to Romania to have Belgium next year too because of BP win abroad, I kind of want Portugal back, they're a much interesting side than Belgium. Sure, the team is rebuilding but still. Kenya vs Germany is very very interesting and I think will be a very difficult one for the Europeans.

About Steaua - Dinamo I don't know much except the visitors were complacent first half and weren't able to do anything. I do agree that Steaua looks soft in tight five. I think Perju (b. 1994) had a very good game with a try and contributing at the counterattack from which resulted last Steaua's try, he seems to be a quality center.

CSM - Iasi was a very good match with lots of tries and a bold reply from the visitors. Despite having financial issues and being few tries behind at the break, Iasi young team put up a good performance in second half scoring 3 unanswered tries. CSM kept the composure and were able to win but what a match!
 
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