RRI Sports Club

Romania's national rugby team concluded its spring season with a victory. In the final for the 3rd place of the continental competition Rugby Europe Championship, Romania beat Spain 31-25. Romania scored 4 tries, thanks to Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel Pop and Gabriel Rupanu. Paul Popoaia also scored through a penalty kick and a conversion kick, and Vlăduţ Popa added 2 penalty kicks to Romania's performance. 

Gabriel Pop, at his first match for the national team, was designated the best player of the game. The 25-year old athlete is currently playing for Dinamo Bucharest.

The final tournament hosted by the Spanish city of Badajoz ended with the Rugby Europe Championship final, in which Georgia beat Portugal 38-11, to win the competition for the 6th time in a row. 

The 2 finalists were in fact the only teams to have defeated Romania, which was hardly a surprise given their better places in the world rankings. At the moment, after the matches in Badajoz, Georgia ranks 11th in the world, Portugal comes 16th, and Romania 19th. Moreover, Romania played against these teams away from home.

The national team had mixed performances this year. There have been good matches, with accurate and even spectacular moments, but also weak periods, with mistakes that enabled their opponents to score tens of points. Major corrections are necessary in this respect, particularly given the fast approaching World Cup, scheduled this autumn in France. 

Romania will play their first World Cup match on 9 September, against Ireland, in Bordeaux, followed by a game against defending world champions South Africa, on the 17 September. Next comes the match against Scotland, scheduled to take place on 30 September in Lille, the city which will also host Romania's last game, against Tonga, on 8 October. (AMP)