Romania’s national rugby team wants to start off the new competition year on the right foot, in a revamped composition, and win its Rugby Europe Championship match on Saturday against Portugal to stay in the world’s elite.
”There is a years-long tradition of Romania versus Portugal matches. To us, this is our first match after the World Cup, a new campaign, a new team, a new, more experienced skipper who brings us more serenity and more lucidity. Hopefully, we will witness an exceptional spectacle in the first leg,” Chairman of the Romanian Rugby Federation (FRR) Haralambie Dumitras told a news conference on Friday in Cluj-Napoca.
He added that the match versus Portugal is a difficult one as it is the first the new Romanian team plays.
”We have thought this is the time for us to try and build, alongside experienced players, to bring fresh players to integrate with the national side. (…) The young players will play along the more experienced ones, grow beside them so that we may get a strong side and end this year at the same level where we finished the previous one. Our performance in the World Cup compels us to stay in the world’s rugby elite league, so let us go get the best results starting with tomorrow’s match, which is very difficult because it is the first and both sides will adamantly play their chances,”said Dumitras. More…