RRI Sports Club

Bucharest plays host to three high-stakes rugby matches involving the national side.

Florin Orban, 11.11.2026, 13:45

Romania’s rugby side last Friday faced Tonga in Bucharest, losing 43-38 in a spectacular match in which both sides scored six tries each. Romania fought until the very end, displaying a level of tenacity that exceeded expectations. In the end, however, the difference in experience between the two sides was decisive, a fact also reflected in the world rankings, where Tonga climbed to 17th place, while Romania slipped to 23rd, their lowest-ever position.

The match was part of the Nations Cup, a new competition introduced to the events calendar by World Rugby, the global governing body for the sport. In Group A, which includes Romania alongside other teams from Europe, Asia, and Africa, Romania are now in 4th place, with one win, one draw, and two losses. In the tournament’s opening matches back in July, Romania defeated Samoa, drew with Uruguay, and lost to Chile. Georgia are the current group leaders, having won all four of their matches and being the strongest European side outside of the Six Nations Championship.

In Group B, the United States are in the lead with four wins and will face Romania on Saturday, in Bucharest. The match against the United States is very special, with the two sides having played each other for the first time more than a hundred years ago, in 1919, at the Inter-Allied Games in Paris, where the Americans won 21-nil. Five years later, at the Olympic Games, also held in Paris, the United States again beat Romania, this time 39-nil. Romania would have to wait until 1999 to see their first win against the United States, in Dublin, during a World Cup match, which they won 27-25. The United States would go on to win six of the nine matches played ever since, while Romania won three.

After the United States on Saturday, Romania will face Canada a week later in Bucharest, in their final match as part of the current edition of the Nations Cup.