RRI Sport Club RRI – Rugby
The Romanian rugby team has moved up one place in the world rankings and is now in 21st position
Florin Orban, 22.07.2026, 13:45
The first phase of the Rugby Nations Cup came to an end last weekend. The Romanian team is in Group B, which includes sides from Europe, Asia and Africa. “The Oaks” played three matches in South America, recording one win, one draw and one defeat. It is worth noting that all of Romania’s opponents were, and still are, higher-ranked in the world rankings. In their first match, the team coached by Frenchman David Gérard played Chile in Santiago. The South Americans won 48–31, confirming that they are in good form. Romania’s attack worked well, with the teamscoring four tries.
Next came the match in Montevideo against Uruguay, which ended in a 36–36 draw. “The Oaks” were coming off years of consecutive defeats against Los Teros, both away from home and in Bucharest. In the summer of 2025, for example, in Montevideo, Uruguay had won 70–8. This time, the Romanians had many spells where they were the better side, but they struggled with discipline issues during the match, which cost them dearly. They did, however, score five tries and converted four of them, plus a penalty kick.
The draw against Uruguay gave the “Oaks” the confidence they needed to pull off a major upset in the next round and defeat the strong Samoan side. In Montevideo, Romania won 38–37, following a try scored by Alexandru Savin in the final seconds of the match, which was converted by Gabi Rupanu. The Oceanian side got off to a better start and led 10–0. Romania fought back and managed to turn the score around to 14–10. Samoa went into the break with a 17–14 lead, and in the second half they pulled ahead to 31–14. Romania fought back, but towards the end, the scoreboard read 37–31. However, there were some superb moments in the closing stages, and “The Oaks” achieved their best result since 2026. It is also worth noting that the Romanian side scored six tries, four of which were converted.
Following these results, Romania has moved up one place in the world rankings, from 22nd to 21st, overtaking Belgium, which failed to qualify for the Nations Cup. In Group B of the competition, after the first three matches, Romania is in fourth place, behind Georgia, Portugal and Spain. This autumn, specifically in November, “The Oaks” will face three other teams from Group A in Bucharest: Tonga, the USA and Canada. (MI)
