Ireland v Romania: Match Day Programme

Ireland have named a strong side as they look to get momentum ahead of two massive clashes against South Africa and Scotland later in the pool stages. Romania have faced Ireland three times in the World Cup losing all three.

• Ireland begin a second consecutive Rugby World Cup as the number one team in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings powered by Capgemini; however this time they have been on top for 14 continuous months as opposed to two weeks leading into RWC 2019.
  
  
• The only forwards to score four tries in a Rugby World Cup match were both Irish. Number eight Brian Robinson achieved the feat in the 1991 match against Zimbabwe, while Keith Wood’s quartet came against the USA in Dublin eight years later
  
  
• The President of Federația Româna de Rugby is the former Romania back-row forward, Adrian Alin Petrache, who scored a try at Rugby World Cup 1999 against USA, at Lansdowne Road, Dublin.
  
  
• Romania’s pool fixtures span a 29-day period – 11 more than their last tournament appearance at RWC 2015.
  
  
• Each of the five previous meetings has been played in a different stadium

Fixture: Ireland v Romania
Venue: Stade Matmut-Atlantique
Kickoff Time: 13:30 (GMT) 15:30 (Local)

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)

• Amashukeli becomes the first Georgian to referee at a Rugby World Cup
  
  
• The Tbilisi-based official will be assisted on his Rugby World Cup debut by the world’s most experienced referee, Wayne Barnes, and Italian Andrea Piardi.
  
  
• At 28 years and 357 days old, Amashukeli will become the youngest Rugby World Cup referee since Barnes took charge of his first tournament match aged 28 years and 141 days (New Zealand 76-14 Italy, on 8 September, 2007)

RWC Head-to-head: 

Played: 3
Ireland Wins: 3
Romania Wins: 0
Draws: 0

Points for:
Ireland: 133
Romania: 41

Biggest winning margin:
2015 - Ireland 44-10 Romania

Team News:
Ireland

• Captain Johnny Sexton is set to make his first appearance for club or country since Ireland’s Six Nations Grand Slam-winning match against England after being named at fly-half; the Ireland captain has scored 1,050 points for his country and is just 34 points away from surpassing Ronan O’Gara (1,083) as Ireland’s top point scorer in test rugby.
  
  
• Sexton is 16 points away from becoming Ireland’s leading all-time Rugby World Cup points scorer. The fly-half goes into the tournament on 78 points, 15 behind Ronan O’Gara (93)
  
  
• Sexton goes into the tournament with a goal-kicking success rate of 88 per cent for Ireland (15/17) in 2023; he has been successful with his last six kicks at goal.
  
  
• Bundee Aki wins his 50th international cap for (48 for Ireland, two for the British and Irish Lions).
  
  
• Right-wing Keith Earls and tight-head prop Tadgh Furlong and replacement scrum-half Conor Murray are the only survivors from when Ireland last met Romania at RWC 2015.
  
  
• Keith Earls tied Brian O’Driscoll’s Ireland's Rugby World Cup try-scoring record with a brace in 44-10 victory over Romania in the 2015 edition of the tournament. Earls now holds the record outright with eight tournament tries.

Romania

• Romania head coach Eugen Apjok has made three changes of personnel to his starting XV and a host of positional adjustments to the backline from the team that took to the field for the 57- 7 defeat to Italy in the Oaks’ last RWC 2023 warm-up match
  
  
• With Florin Surugiu still not recovered from injury, Romania will field their seventh different half-back partnership of the year as scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu plays alongside Hinckley Vaovasa.
  
  
• Vaovasa has only started one previous test at fly-half with his other starts coming at centre, full-back and on the wing
  
  
• The only change to the pack comes on the blindside where 30-year-old Florian Rosu comes in for Damian Stratila to win his 14th cap.
  
  
• Asides from 9 and 10, Romania go with the same personnel in the backline as they did against Italy but with all wearing different numbered jerseys.
  
  
• Nicholas Onutu shifts from the left wing to the right and former Tonga sevens international, Tevita Manumua moves from inside-centre to fill the gap.