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Romania name extended 38-man squad for Autumn Nations Series opener

Romania's fly-half Hinckley Vaovasa (L) and Romania's wing Tevita Manumua (R) applaud after South Africa won the France 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and Romania at Stade de Bordeaux in Bordeaux, south-western France on September 17, 2023. (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU / AFP) (Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Romania are set for a busy November schedule, with the Stejarii welcoming Tonga, Canada and Uruguay in Bucharest. For the first fixture, head coach David Gérard will have 38 players at his disposal, with Adrian Mitu (Soyaux-Angoulême) and ?tefan Buruian? (Castres) being the only French-based players in the squad.

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Top stars Hinckley Vaovasa, Jason Tomane, Vlad Neculau, Alex Savin, Iulian Hartig and Marius Simionescu will be available for the opening game of the international window.

It is expected that another six will join the Romanian camp after the match against Tonga, with the likes of Taylor Gontineac (AS Béziers-Hérault), Gheorghe Gajion (Stade Montois), Marius Iftimciuc (Carcassonne) and Andrei Mahu (RC Massyone) being some of them.

Adrian Motoc, who has enjoyed an excellent start to the season for Biarritz Olympique, is the biggest doubt as the lock is currently recovering from an injury. Motoc’s last game for the Stejarii was back in October 2023, when the Romanians failed to win any of their games in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Ovidiu Cojocaru is the biggest omission, as the hooker sustained a mid-term injury in the Romanian Wolves’ last game of the Super Cup season.

Fixture
Internationals
Romania
25 - 15
Full-time
Tonga
All Stats and Data

In the team announcement press conference, Gérard explained the reasoning behind the decision to name an extended squad: “The most important thing at this moment is to have an overview of all the players who can represent Romania and whom we can use for the next European Championship (…). We will use the three test matches we play in November to get more confidence in ourselves, but also to build the best team for February.”

While doubts still linger concerning Rugby Romania’s future in the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf, the Oaks reached an agreement and will be able to host all three fixtures in the emblematic venue.

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Romania’s game against Tonga is scheduled for the November 9, followed by Canada on the 16th, with Uruguay being the finale on the 23rd.

Romania 38-man squad
Front-row: Props: Vasile Balan (CSA Steaua), Cosmin Manole (CS Dinamo), Alexandru Savin (CS Rapid), Ciprian Chiriac (SCM USV Timi?oara), Iulian Hartig (CS Dinamo)
Hookers: Tudor Butnariu (CSA Steaua), ?tefan Marko Buruian? (Castres), Emanuel Ilincu?? (CSA Steaua), Robert Irimescu (CSM ?tiin?a Baia Mare), Florin Bárda?u (CS Rapid)

Second-row: Virgil Ghenea (CS Politehnica Ia?i), ?tefan Iancu (CSM Science Baia Mare), Vlad Neculau (SCM USV Timi?oara), David Tr?u?an (CS Rapid), Nicolaas Immelman (CSM Science Baia Mare)

Back-row: Drago? Ser (SCM USV Timisoara), Cristi Boboc (CSA Steaua), Cristi Chirica (CS Dinamo), Kemal Altinok (SCM USV Timi?oara), Adrian Mitu (Soyaux Angoulème Rugby XV Charente), Kamil Sobota (CS Dinamo) , Eduard Cioroab? (CS Dinamo)

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Scrum-half: Alin Conache (CSA Steaua), Gabriel Rupanu (SCM USM Timi?oara), Vl?du? Boc?ne? (CSM ?tiin?a Baia Mare)

Fly-half: Daniel Plai (SCM USV Timisoara), Hinckley Vaovasa (CS Dinamo)

Centres: Mihai Graure (CS Dinamo), Tangimana Fonovai (CS Dinamo), Jason Tomane (CSM Sciin?a Baia Mare), Alexandru Bucur (SCM USV Timi?oara), Alexandru Prescura (CS Rapid)

Back three: Romeo Corrado-?te?co (SCM USV Timi?oara), Marius Simionescu (SCM USV Timi?oara), Ovidiu Neagu (CS Dinamo), Tevita Manumua (SCM USV Timi?oara), Rafael David Florea – Jil?veanu (CSA Steaua), Paul Popoaia (CSM ?tiin?a Baia Mare)

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J
JW 1 hour ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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