Romania Rugby | 113 Years of history

Romian travels to Estadio Nacional de Chile to take on the home side, Chile, in the opening match of the 2026 Nations Cup.

Ahead of the clash, lets take a look at the rich history of Romanian rugby.

1913 (The Arrival): Rugby is introduced to Romania (Bucharest) by students returning from studies in Paris, leading to the formation of the first domestic clubs, like Stadiul Român.

1913 (First Match): The first official rugby match in Romania is played in Bucharest, establishing the foundation for the local game, between Tennis Club Roman and Sporting Club, on September the 8th

1914 (First Championship) The first championship ever played in Romania, Tenis Club Roman is the first champion team of Romania.

1924 (Olympic Breakthrough): Romania wins a Bronze Medal at the Paris Olympics, marking the country's first-ever Olympic medal in any sport and establishing the 4th of May as the National Rugby Day.

1931 (RRU): The Romanian Rugby Federation was one of the founder members of the Federation Internationale de Rugby Amateur, now known as Rugby Europe

1939 The first team outside Bucharest was formed at an aircraft factory in Brasov

1960 (First Defeat of France): The national team, nicknamed the "Oaks" (Stejarii), defeats rugby powerhouse France, 11-5, in Bucharest, before a crowd of 55,000 spectators.

1964 Grivița Roşie wins the European Champions Cup (10-0 against Mont de Marsan in the final) 1967 Dinamo conquers the European Champions Cup after winning against Agen

1970s-1980s (The Golden Generation): Romania dominates the FIRA Championship, consistently matching Tier 1 nations and earning a reputation as a global "giant-killer."

1980 (The 15-0 Shutout): Romania secures its most famous historical victory by completely shutting out France 15-0 in Bucharest.

 The Romania team prior to the representative match between Leinster and Romania at Donnybrook Stadium in Dublin.

1981 (Near-Miss Against the All Blacks): The Oaks push New Zealand to the absolute limit in Bucharest, narrowly losing 14-6, after having two tries controversially disallowed.

1984 Romania's first win over Scotland came in Bucharest, 28-22

1987 (Inaugural Rugby World Cup): Romania is invited to the first-ever Rugby World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, defeating Zimbabwe 21-20, in their debut match.

1988 (The Miracle in Cardiff): Romania achieves its greatest away victory, by defeating Wales, 15-9, at the National Stadium in Cardiff, first win against Five Nations opposition

1990s (The Post-Revolution Decline): The fall of communism and subsequent economic hardships lead to a severe lack of funding, causing Romanian rugby to fall behind professionally.

Brinza of Romania (with ball) breaks from the scrum during the Latin Cup match against Italy at Tarbes in France. Italy won the match 55-32. 

1990 (Auch) The Oaks recorded their best win to date by beaying France 12-6 on French soil for the first time

2000 Romania won the first European Nations Cup by a large margin, recording victories in all four matches.

2001 (The Twickenham Low): Romania suffers its heaviest-ever defeat, losing 134–0 to England, which highlights the growing gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 nations.

2015 (Historic World Cup Comeback): The Oaks stage the largest comeback in Rugby World Cup history, overturning a 15-0 deficit to defeat Canada 17-15.

2018 (Disqualification Heartbreak): Romania is disqualified from the 2019 Rugby World Cup for unintentionally fielding an ineligible player during the qualifying stages.

2021 (The 1,000-Point Legend): Fly-half Florin Vlaicu becomes the first player from an emerging rugby nation to pass 1,00о international points.

2023 (World Cup Return): Romania returns to the global stage at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, competing in a challenging pool against South Africa, Ireland, Scotland and Tonga.