RRI Sports Club

The 2019 Rugby Europe Championship is drawing to a close. Just like in the previous six editions, one round before the final, Georgia emerges as the winner, with 18 points. For Romanian rugby, however, this edition turned out to be unsuccessful, against the backdrop of a crisis that started last year.

Steliu Lambru, 13.03.2019, 13:30

The 2019 Rugby Europe Championship is drawing to a close. Just like in the previous six editions, one round before the final, Georgia emerges as the winner, with 18 points. For Romanian rugby, however, this edition turned out to be unsuccessful, against the backdrop of a crisis that started last year.

2018 was a fateful year for the national rugby squad, with Romania missing the opportunity to go through to the William Webb Ellis World Cup, a competition Romania had been present in since 1987 and which in September 2019 will be hosted by Japan. Also in 2018, Romanias head-coach Lynn Howells resigned his position.

It appears that at the 2019 Rugby Europe Championship, Romania was unable to overcome the very difficulties of 2018. In spite of promised changes in the line-up, this was not the case and the national team only managed a bumpy performance. At present, Romania is 4th-placed in the standings, with 10 points from 2 wins and 2 defeats on its record sheet, and the results of other matches in the group can still push Romania one place up in the rankings.

In its first home game Romania played in Cluj, the national team lost to Georgia, 9-18, although our national squad managed a good run in the first half of the match. The Romanians were unable to score a single try, while Georgia scored two.

Romanias second game, also at home, brought their first victory, against Germany, 38-10, with 6 tries scored for the national team.

Next, Romania was defeated by Spain in Madrid. The Romanians performance in the first half of the match was very good, but in the second half they seemed to have lost their nerve, conceding an 18-21 defeat to their opponents. Romania scored 2 tries, while Spain scored 3.

In the fourth match, again on home turf, in the northern Romanian town of Botosani, Romania took on Russia, managing a nail-biting win, 22-20, after in extra time Russia failed to convert the try that would have enabled them to level the score. The teams succeeded one try each.

In its last scheduled match counting towards the 2019 edition of Rugby Europe Championship, Romania plays Belgium in Brussels.

(translated by: Eugen Nasta)