RRI Sports Club – Rugby
Romanias national rugby team has had an auspicious start in the new international competition season.
Florin Orban, 10.02.2016, 14:17
In the inaugural game of the current edition of the Rugby Europe Championship, Romania’s Stejarii – “The Oak Leaf Knights” trounced Portugal, 39-14. The Romanians have also been awarded the offensive game bonus point thanks to their excellent run in the second half of the game. At half time, Portugal had a 4 point lead, 14-10. Scoring for Romania were Stephen Shennan and Vlad Nistor, with two tries each, while Florin Radoi scored yet another try. Florin Vlaicu successfully converted four of the Romanian team’s tries, also converting two penalty kicks.
In other fixtures at the weekend, Georgia thrashed Germany, 59-7, while Russia outclassed Spain, 22-20. The Romanian national squad’s next fixture is the game against Spain on February 13, in Madrid.
For the game against Spain, Romania’s national squad’s pool of regulars has included six more players. Apart from the 31 rugby players summoned for the game against Portugal, the Welsh manager Lynn Howells also summoned captain Mihai Macovei and Otar Turashvili, both currently playing for French team Colomiers. Joining them are props Silviu Sebastian Suciu and Paul Alexandru Rusu, both signed up by CSM Stiinta Baia Mare, scrumhalf Alexandru Tigla, of CSM Bucharest and young Ionut Balaban of the National Center of Excellence.
Furthermore, scrumhalf Tudorel Bratu, having sustained a minor injury during a training session last week, has completely recovered and will be used for next week’s game against Spain, according to Agerpress news agency.
This past weekend saw games being played counting towards the inaugural stage of the Six Nations Tournament. On Saturday in Edinburgh, England defeated Scotland 15-9, while France narrowly defeated Italy, 23-21, on Stade de France. In Dublin on Sunday, Ireland held Wales to a 16-all draw.
The second stage of the competition is scheduled for this weekend, when France will be facing Ireland, Wales will be taking on Scotland and Italy will go up against England.
