RRI Sports Club
Rugby
Florin Orban, 17.11.2021, 13:45
In rugby, November is dedicated to international matches. High-level matches take place, often ending in surprises. The big surprise this year was reported on Saturday, in Dublin, where Ireland beat New Zealand 29 – 20.
Romania’s team is also participating in international games. Stejarii – “The Oaks” played their first test match on Sunday, November 7, in Italy, in Verona, with the Uruguayan team. The match should have taken place in Bucharest, but due to the health situation in the Romanian capital, it was agreed to be played in Italy. Although the South American team was better placed in the world ranking, Romania won 29 – 14. The Romanian rugby players thus took their revenge after, 3 years ago, Uruguay won in Bucharest, also in a test match, 27-20. It is worth mentioning that the team of Uruguay is already qualified to the World Cup scheduled for 2023, in France.
Last Saturday, “Stejarii” played, in Bucharest, an outstanding match counting for the continental Rugby European Championship competition, against the Netherlands. Romania obtained a landslide win, with the score 56 – 15, the Romanian rugbyists scoring no less than eight tries, four in each half. In the 2021 edition of the competition, there is only one game left to play, the Netherlands versus Spain, scheduled for December. Top of the ranking is Georgia, with 23 points, followed by Romania with 14 points, which has an equal number of points with the team on the 3rd place, Portugal. Russia is on 4th place with 9 points. Spain is on 5th place, with 7 points, but with one game less. The Netherlands ranks last with no points.
The Romanian team also has a test match with Tonga scheduled for this year, on Saturday, November 20, in Bucharest, on the Arcul de Triumf National Rugby Stadium. For this game, 30 players were selected, most of them playing in the domestic championship. The rugby players of the defending champions, CSM Știința Baia Mare, who left with the club team in a tournament in South Africa, are missing. At the same time, almost all the rugbyists who play in France have returned to the club teams. In the world ranking, at this moment, Romania is ranked 16th, and Tonga 15th. (LS)
