Romania at the Rugby World Cup

Romania played in the first eight editions of the Rugby World Cup including the inaugural tournament in 1987. They originally qualified for the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup to be played in 2019. In 2018, after it was discovered that Romania were one of three countries guilty of fielding ineligible players in multiple qualifiers, they received a points deduction. The points deduction meant Romania did not qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Summary

Nation	Number of appearances	First appearance	Most recent appearance	Streak	Best result
Romania	9	1987	2023	8	One win, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015

Rugby World Cup record										Qualification
Year	Round	P	W	D	L	F	A	Squad	Head coach	P	W	D	L	F	A
1987	Pool stage	3	1	0	2	61	130	Squad	M. Naca	Automatically qualified
1991	Pool stage	3	1	0	2	31	64	Squad	P. Ianusevici	3	2	0	1	85	42
1995	Pool stage	3	0	0	3	14	97	Squad	M. Paraschiv	4	2	0	2	105	46
1999	Pool stage	3	1	0	2	50	126	Squad	M. Paraschiv	6	4	0	2	300	127
2003	Pool stage	4	1	0	3	65	192	Squad	B. Charreyre	2	1	0	1	84	31
2007	Pool stage	4	1	0	3	40	161	Squad	D. Santamans	12	10	0	2	452	122
2011	Pool stage	4	0	0	4	44	169	Squad	R. Gontineac	12	8	1	3	376	142
2015	Pool stage	4	1	0	3	60	129	Squad	L. Howells	10	8	1	1	242	106
2019	Expelled from competing at tournament after qualification									8	6	0	2	296	106
2023	Pool stage	4	0	0	4	32	287	Squad	E. Apjok	10	6	0	4	289	232
Total	—	32	6	0	26	397	1,355	—	—	67	47	2	18	2229	954

By match

1987

Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	Pts	Qualification
France	3	2	1	0	145	44	+101	25	5^[a]	Knockout stage
Scotland	3	2	1	0	135	69	+66	22	5^[a]	Knockout stage
Romania	3	1	0	2	61	130	−69	6	2
Zimbabwe	3	0	0	3	53	151	−98	5	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Notes:

^ ^a ^b France qualify as pool winner having scored three tries to Scotland's two in their drawn match.

23 May 1987

Romania	21–20	Zimbabwe
Try: Paraschiv Toader Hodorcă Pen: Alexandru (3)		Try: Tsimba (2) Neill Con: Ferreira Pen: Ferreira (2)

Eden Park, Auckland
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland)

28 May 1987

France	55–12	Romania
Try: Lagisquet (2) Charvet (2) Sella Andrieu Camberabero Erbani Laporte Con: Laporte (8) Pen: Laporte		Pen: Bezuscu (4)

Athletic Park, Wellington
Attendance: 7,000
Referee: Bob Fordham (Australia)

2 June 1987

Romania	28–55	Scotland
Try: Murariu (2) Toader Con: Alexandru Ion Pen: Alexandru (3) Ion		Try: Jeffrey (3) Tait (2) Hastings (2) Duncan Tukalo Con: Hastings (8) Pen: Hastings

Carisbrook, Dunedin
Attendance: 14,000
Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland)

1991

Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
France	3	3	0	82	25	+57	6
Canada	3	2	1	45	33	+12	4
Romania	3	1	2	31	64	−33	2
Fiji	3	0	3	27	63	−36	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

4 October 1991

France	30–3	Romania
Try: Roumat Lafond Penalty try Saint-André Con: Camberabero Pen: Camberabero (4)		Pen: Nichitean

Stade de la Méditerranée, Béziers
Referee: Les Peard (Wales)

9 October 1991

Canada	19–11	Romania
Try: McKinnon Ennis Con: Mark Wyatt Pen: Wyatt (2) Drop: Rees		Try: Lungu Sasu Pen: Nichitean

Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse
Referee: Sandy MacNeill (Australia)

12 October 1991

Fiji	15–17	Romania
Pen: Turuva (2) Drop: Rabaka (2) Turuva		Try: Ion Dumitras Sasu Con: Racean Pen: Nichitean

Parc Municipal des Sports, Brive
Referee: Owen Doyle (Ireland)

1995 Rugby World Cup

Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
South Africa	3	3	0	68	26	+42	9
Australia	3	2	1	87	41	+46	7
Canada	3	1	2	45	50	−5	5
Romania	3	0	3	14	97	−83	3

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

26 May 1995

Canada	34–3	Romania
Try: Charron McKenzie Snow Con: Rees (2) Pen: Rees (4)		Pen: Neculai Nichitean

Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand)

30 May 1995

South Africa	21–8	Romania
Try: Adriaan Richter (2) Con: Gavin Johnson Pen: Gavin Johnson (3)		Try: Andrei Gurănescu Pen: Ilie Ivanciuc

Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Ken McCartney (Scotland)

3 June 1995

Australia	42–3	Romania
Try: Smith Wilson Roff Foley Burke Con: Matt Burke (2) John Eales (4)		Pen: Ilie Ivanciuc

Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Naoki Saito (Japan)

1999

Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	Pts
Australia	3	3	0	135	31	+104	9
Ireland	3	2	1	100	45	+55	7
Romania	3	1	2	50	126	−76	5
United States	3	0	3	52	135	−83	3

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

3 October 1999

Australia	57–9	Romania
Try: Kefu (3) Roff (2) Kafer Burke Little Horan Con: Burke (5) Eales		Pen: Mitu (3)

Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)

9 October 1999

United States	25–27	Romania
Try: Shuman Hightower Lyle Con: Dalzell (2) Pen: Dalzell (2)		Try: Petrache Solomie Constantin Con: Mitu (2) Pen: Mitu

Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland)

15 October 1999

Ireland	44–14	Romania
Try: O'Shea (2) Ward Tierney O'Cuinneagain Con: Elwood (5) Pen: Elwood (2) Drop: O'Driscoll		Try: Săuan Pen: Mitu (3)

Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Referee: Brian Campsell (England)

2003

Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	BP	Pts	Qualification
Australia	4	4	0	273	32	+241	2	18	Quarter-finals
Ireland	4	3	1	141	56	+85	3	15	Quarter-finals
Argentina	4	2	2	140	57	+83	3	11
Romania	4	1	3	65	192	−127	1	5
Namibia	4	0	4	28	310	−282	0	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

11 October 2003

Ireland	45–17	Romania
Try: S. Horgan Wood Hickie (2) Costello Con: Humphreys (3) O'Gara Pen: Humphreys (4)		Try: Penalty try Maftei Con: Tofan Vioreanu Pen: Tofan

Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Attendance: 19,123
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)

18 October 2003

Australia	90–8	Romania
Try: Flatley Rogers (3) Burke (2) Larkham (2) Mortlock Roff Giteau Tuqiri Smith Con: Flatley (11) Pen: Flatley		Try: Toderașc Pen: Tofan

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Attendance: 48,778
Referee: Pablo De Luca (Argentina)

22 October 2003

Argentina	50–3	Romania
Try: Gaitán Hernández (2) M. Contepomi N. Fernández Miranda Bouza (2) Con: J. Fernández Miranda (4) Quesada (2) Pen: J. Fernández Miranda		Pen: Tofan

Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 33,673
Referee: Chris White (England)

30 October 2003

Namibia	7–37	Romania
Try: Isaacs Con: Wessels		Try: Petrechei Sîrbu Chiriac Teodorescu Săuan Con: Tofan (3) Pen: Tofan (2)

Aurora Stadium, Launceston
Attendance: 15,457
Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia)

2007

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	B	Pts	Qualification
1	New Zealand	4	4	0	309	35	+274	4	20	Qualified for the quarter-finals
2	Scotland	4	3	1	116	66	+50	2	14	Qualified for the quarter-finals
3	Italy	4	2	2	85	117	−32	1	9	Eliminated, automatic qualification for RWC 2011
4	Romania	4	1	3	40	161	−121	1	5
5	Portugal	4	0	4	38	209	−171	1	1

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

12 September 2007
20:00

Italy	24–18	Romania
Try: Dellapè 6' m Penalty try 55' c Con: Pez (1/1) Pen: Bortolussi (1/2) 14' Ramiro Pez (3/3) 62', 66', 72'	Report	Try: Manta 43' m Țincu 47' c Con: Dimofte (1/1) Pen: Dimofte (2/2) 70', 74'

Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
Attendance: 44,241
Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England)

18 September 2007
21:00

Scotland	42–0	Romania
Try: Paterson 2' c Hogg (3) 17' c, 46' c, 53' c R. Lamont (2) 36' c, 72' c Con: Paterson (6/6)	Report

Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 31,222
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

25 September 2007
20:00

Romania	14–10	Portugal
Try: Țincu 63' c Corodeanu 72' c Con: Calafeteanu (1/1) Dumbravă (1/1)	Report	Try: Ferreira 18' c Con: D. Pinto (1/1) Pen: Malheiro (1/1) 69'

Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
Attendance: 35,526
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)

29 September 2007
13:00

New Zealand	85–8	Romania
Try: Sivivatu (2) 1' m, 24' c Masoe 10' c Rokocoko (3) 15' c, 58' c, 66' c Evans 18' m Mauger 37' m Toeava (2) 47' c, 80+' c Hore 64' c Smith 75' c Howlett 79' c Con: McAlister (4/7) Evans (6/6)	Report	Try: Țincu 31' m Pen: Vlaicu 72'

Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse
Attendance: 35,608
Referee: Joël Jutge (France)

2011

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	T	B	Pts	Qualification
1	England	4	4	0	137	34	+103	18	2	18	Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup
2	Argentina	4	3	1	90	40	+50	10	2	14
3	Scotland	4	2	2	73	59	+14	4	3	11	Eliminated but qualified for 2015 Rugby World Cup
4	Georgia	4	1	3	48	90	−42	3	0	4
5	Romania	4	0	4	44	169	−125	3	0	0

Source: ^{[citation needed]}


10 September 2011	Scotland	34–24	Romania	Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill
17 September 2011	Argentina	43–8	Romania	Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill
24 September 2011	England	67–3	Romania	Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
28 September 2011	Georgia	25–9	Romania	Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North

2015

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	T	B	Pts	Qualification
1	Ireland	4	4	0	134	35	+99	16	2	18	Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
2	France	4	3	1	120	63	+57	12	2	14
3	Italy	4	2	2	74	88	−14	7	2	10	Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup
4	Romania	4	1	3	60	129	−69	7	0	4
5	Canada	4	0	4	58	131	−73	7	2	2

Source: ^{[citation needed]}


23 September 2015	France	38–11	Romania	Olympic Stadium, London
27 September 2015	Ireland	44–10	Romania	Wembley Stadium, London
6 October 2015	Canada	15–17	Romania	Leicester City Stadium, Leicester
11 October 2015	Italy	32–22	Romania	Sandy Park, Exeter

2023

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	B	Pts	Qualification
1	Ireland	4	4	0	190	46	+144	27	5	3	19	Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup
2	South Africa	4	3	1	151	34	+117	22	4	3	15
3	Scotland	4	2	2	146	71	+75	21	10	2	10	Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup
4	Tonga	4	1	3	96	177	−81	13	25	1	5
5	Romania	4	0	4	32	287	−255	4	43	0	0

Source: World Rugby
Rules for classification: Pool stage tiebreakers

9 September 2023
15:30 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Ireland	82–8	Romania
Try: Gibson-Park 5' c Keenan 13' c Beirne (2) 17' m, 80+3' c Aki (2) 34' c, 75' c Sexton (2) 40' c, 62' c Herring 45' c O'Mahony (2) 50' c, 70' c McCarthy 67' c Con: Sexton (7/8) 6', 13', 36', 40', 46', 51', 63' Crowley (4/4) 68', 72', 76', 80+3'	Report	Try: Rupanu 3' m Pen: Rupanu (1/1) 21'

Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Attendance: 41,170
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)^[1]

17 September 2023
15:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) South Africa	76–0	Romania
Try: Reinach (3) 2' m, 8' c, 23' c Mapimpi (3) 6' c, 63' m, 67' c Willemse 11' c Fourie 42' m Penalty try 52' Williams (2) 54' c, 61' c Le Roux 73' m Con: Willemse (5/7) 7', 9', 11', 24', 55' De Klerk (2/4) 62', 68'	Report

Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Attendance: 38,789
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)^[1]

30 September 2023
21:00 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Scotland	84–0	Romania
Try: Watson 9' c Price 17' c Graham (4) 21' c, 34' c, 40' c, 77' c Fagerson 38' c Harris 45' c Smith 53' c Healy 58' c Matthews 71' c Darge 73' c Con: Healy (11/11) 10', 18', 22', 35', 39', 40', 47', 55', 59', 72', 77' Horne (1/1) 73'	Report

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq
Attendance: 46,516
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)^[1]

8 October 2023
17:45 CEST (UTC+2)

(1 BP) Tonga	45–24	Romania
Try: Kata (2) 11' c, 66' m Moala 15' c Taumoepeau 22' c Vailanu 49' c Ahki 62' c Taumoefolau 71' m Con: Havili (5/7) 13', 17', 23', 51', 63'	Report	Try: Boboc 30' c Surugiu 36' c Simionescu 55' c Con: Conache (3/3) 32', 37', 57' Pen: Conache (1/2) 19'

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq
Attendance: 45,042
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)^[1]

References

Davies, Gerald (2004). The History of the Rugby World Cup. Sanctuary Publishing. ISBN 1860746020.
Farr-Jones, Nick (2003). Story of the Rugby World Cup. Australia Post. ISBN 0-642-36811-2.

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Rugby World Cup 2023 pool stage". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 September 2023.

[table_hth_FRA0.64266991458958-1] France qualify as pool winner having scored three tries to Scotland's two in their drawn match.

[officials-2] "Rugby World Cup 2023 pool stage". World Rugby. Retrieved 11 September 2023.

[a]

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