RRI Sports Club – Rugby
Romania will compete in the World Rugby Nations Cup in July.
Florin Orban, 01.07.2026, 13:45
Every year, the global rugby calendar reserves July and November for international test matches. Now, World Rugby has transformed these traditional windows into a brand-new competition: the World Rugby Nations Cup. The tournament features 12 teams from six continents, all of whom have qualified for next year’s World Cup—including Romania. Each country will play six matches. The Americas will host the inaugural season, kicking off on July 4 in Montevideo, where Uruguay will face Georgia. This opening fixture pits South America’s second-ranked side (behind Argentina) against Europe’s top team outside of the Six Nations.
Romania opens its campaign on Saturday, July 4, against Chile at the 50,000-seat Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago. The match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. local time, which is 1:00 a.m. Sunday in Bucharest. In the second round on July 11, head coach David Gérard’s squad will travel to Montevideo to face Uruguay, followed by a clash with Samoa in the same city on July 18. This tournament offers Stejarii (the Oaks) a vital chance at redemption following last year’s disappointing South American tour, where they suffered heavy defeats to Chile (40-16) and Uruguay (70-8).
To prepare, Gérard has selected a full-strength squad of top domestic and international talent. While several call-ups play in the lower divisions of French rugby, the squad also features flanker Jacopo Bianchi. Born in Italy to a Romanian mother, Bianchi plays for Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship (URC)—an elite league featuring powerhouse clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy, and South Africa. As team captain Cristi Boboc noted, the squad is at full strength and ready to give everything. Ultimately, these three matches in July, combined with three more in November, will serve as crucial benchmarks as Romania builds toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup. (EE)
