Tonga claim their biggest-ever World Cup win as Romania come up short

Tonga wrapped up their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign with a bonus-point 45-24 success against Romania at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille on Sunday.

After defeats to Ireland, Scotland and South Africa, victory will taste sweet for the 'Ikale Tahi as they finish in fourth spot in Pool B ahead of the Romanians.

Solomone Kata (two), George Moala, Afusipa Taumoepeau, Sione Vailanu, Pita Ahki and Kyren Taumoefolau went over in Tonga's ruthless seven-try triumph.

Cristi Boboc, Florin Surugio and Marius Simionescu crossed for Romania as their Rugby World Cup unfortunately wraps up with zero points on the board.

The teams came into the clash without a point between them but the Pacific Islanders finished strongly to ensure they exited the competition with a win.

Although Alin Conache missed an early penalty for Romania, Tonga started with purpose and were rewarded through tries from Kata and Moala, the latter of which was converted by William Havili.

Conache kicked a penalty to make it 14-3 to Tonga after 20 minutes but Taumoepeau went over soon after and Havili again converted.

However, Romania scored a try of their own in the 31st minute when Boboc touched down after a well worked line-out.  Conache converted to reduce the deficit to 11 points.

After Tonga's Leva Fifita was shown yellow for a shoulder charge, Romania used the extra man to score again.

Surugiu, in his last international game before retiring, broke away after a scrum and evaded the defenders to cross the whitewash.  Conache again converted and the deficit was just four points.

10 minutes after the turnaround Tonga had breathing space when Vailanu's try was converted by Havili.

However, battling Romania responded well with a try from Simionescu.  Conache added the extras and the gap was down to four points again.

That was as good as it got for them though, as Ahki crossed for a try which Havili again converted with 18 minutes remaining.

Four minutes later Kata had his second try and, after Conache had been sin-binned, Taumoefolau got Tonga's seventh try to round off the scoring in an entertaining contest.

🇹🇴🙌 It has been a pleasure, Tonga! #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/DDKGXhSDJj

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) October 8, 2023

The teams

Tonga:  15 Salesi Piutau, 14 Solomone Kata, 13 George Moala, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 10 William Havili, 9 Sonatane Takulua (c), 8 Sione Vailanu, 7 Sione Talitui, 6 Semisi Paea, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Halaleva Fifita, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Paula Ngauamo, 1 Siegfried Fisi'ihoi
Replacements:  16 Sione Anga'aelangi, 17 Paula Latu, 18 Siate Tokolahi, 19 Sitiveni Mafi, 20 Penitoa Finau, 21 Manusiu Paea, 22 Patrick Pellegrini, 23 Kyren Taumoefolau

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Nicholas Onutu, 13 Tevita Manumua, 12 Fonovai Tangimana, 11 Taliauli Sikuea, 10 Alin Conache, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Andre Gorin, 7 Cristi Boboc, 6 Vlad Neculau, 5 Marius Iftimiciuc, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru (c), 1 Alexandru Savin
Replacements:  16 Robert Irimescu, 17 Iulian Hartig, 18 Costel Burtila, 19 Florian Rosu, 20 Damian Stratila, 21 Gabriel Rupanu, 22 Alexandru Bucur, 23 Mihai Graure

Referee:  Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Referees:  Mathieu Raynal (FFR), Christophe Ridley (RFU)
TMO:  Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Scotland hammer Romania to set up decisive World Cup clash with Ireland

Scotland emphatically did their job in Lille on Saturday as they thrashed Romania 84-0 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

Darcy Graham was no doubt the standout player, lighting up the game with four tries and a number of other thrilling surges during the match.

Three of his scores came in the first period as Gregor Townsend's men went into the interval 42-0 in front.  Hamish Watson, Ali Price and Matt Fagerson also crossed the whitewash before the break as the Scots threatened to put a century of points on the Oaks.

And when Chris Harris, Ollie Smith and Ben Healy touched down, it very much looked on, but they got a bit loose in the final quarter to prevent them from reaching that milestone.

However, Scotland finished with a flourish thanks to tries from Johnny Matthews, Rory Darge and Graham to give them a confidence boost heading into their big match against Ireland, which will ultimately decide their World Cup fate.

The Scots were so confident of getting the result they required at Stade Pierre-Mauroy that they made 13 changes from the side that started against Tonga the previous Sunday, preserving most of their A-listers for the Ireland match in Paris which they must win with a bonus point or by denying their opponents one in order to reach the quarter-finals.

There was no danger of the decision to field so many fringe men backfiring from the moment Watson got the Scots off and running with the first try of the match in the eighth minute.

The experienced Edinburgh flanker ― who has lost the number seven jersey to the burgeoning Darge this year ― marked his return to the starting line-up by bounding over on the right after Cam Redpath offloaded into his path as he was thwarted on his own charge towards the line.

Price ― like Watson, another 2021 British and Irish Lions squad member who has become a peripheral player for the national team this year ― got the second in the 17th minute after being played in by Graham.

It was Graham's turn to get on the scoresheet just four minutes later when he touched down following a brilliant individual run, bringing him level with his Edinburgh team-mate Van der Merwe, one of those given the night off.

Romania ― already bang up against it ― completely imploded in the closing 10 minutes of the first half when they had three players sin-binned and conceded a further three tries.

Hooker Robert Irimescu was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Healy and just a couple of minutes later they were reduced to 13, when back-rower Florian Rosu was yellow-carded for collapsing a maul.

Scotland took full advantage as Graham scored his second of the evening to move ahead of Duhan van der Merwe and level with Chris Paterson in the country's try-scoring charts.

💨 Darcy Graham is RAPID!!#RWC2023 #SCOvROMpic.twitter.com/zM29Guvsqg

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 30, 2023

Fagerson bulldozed his way over for the fifth, but only after Ollie Smith had been the victim of a nasty high tackle in the build-up from Marius Simionescu, who became the third Romanian to be sin-binned before the break.

There was still time before the interval for Graham to complete his hat-trick as the Edinburgh wing moved ahead of Paterson and into fourth place on his own.  All six first-half tries were converted by Healy as the Scots went in 42-0 to the good at half-time.

The scores kept coming after the break, with Harris, Smith, Healy, Matthews ― shortly after coming on for his debut ― and Darge all touching down.

Graham then raced over for his fourth of the night as the Scots ran up their second-highest win at a World Cup, finishing just five points shy of the 89-0 victory they enjoyed against Ivory Coast in 1995.

The teams

Scotland:  15 Ollie Smith, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Kyle Steyn, 10 Ben Healy, 9 Ali Price, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Luke Crosbie, 5 Grant Gilchrist (c), 4 Sam Skinner, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements:  16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 WP Nel, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Rory Darge, 21 George Horne, 22 Blair Kinghorn, 23 Huw Jones

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Sioeli Lama, 13 Jason Tomane, 12 Fonovai Tangimana, 11 Taliauli Sikuea, 10 Alin Conache, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Dragos Ser, 6 Florian Rosu, 5 Stefan Iancu, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Gheorghe Gajion, 2 Robert Irimescu, 1 Alexandru Savin
Replacements:  16 Florin Bardasu, 17 Iulian Hartig, 18 Costel Burtila, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Damian Stratila, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Tudor Boldor, 23 Nicholas Onutu

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Clinical Boks cruise to one-sided win over hapless Romania in Bordeaux

The Springboks made a statement of intent as they produced a fine showing to cruise to a 76-0 bonus-point victory against Romania in their Rugby World Cup clash in Bordeaux on Sunday.

As the scoreline suggests, this was a one-sided affair as the defending world champions dominated from start to finish and eventually ran in 12 tries with Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi crossing for a hat-trick apiece.

Grant Williams (2), Damian Willemse, Deon Fourie, Willie le Roux also dotted down and they were also awarded a penalty try.

The Boks' other points came via five conversions from Willemse while Faf de Klerk also succeeded with a couple of two-pointers off the kicking tee.

The Boks started their rout as early as the third minute when Reinach broke off the back of a scrum on Romania's five-metre line before selling the defence a dummy on his way over the try-line.

Soon after, Mapimpi ran onto an inside pass from Le Roux and cantered in for an easy five-pointer and then Reinach got over for his second five-pointer after outpacing the cover defence, which meant South Africa were holding a comfortable 19-0 lead after just 10 minutes.

Two minutes later, Willemse bamboozled the Oaks with excellent footwork before crossing for his five-pointer and soon after Marco van Staden dotted down off the back of a lineout drive but his effort was disallowed by the TMO for obstruction in the build-up.

South Africa put that setback behind them and in the 24th minute Reinach went over for his third try with Willemse adding the extras to give the Boks a commanding 33-0 lead at half-time.

The #Springboks have made a statement with a big win in Bordeaux. Thanks for the game @RugbyRomania and good luck for the rest of your campaign🙌#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 #RSAvROM pic.twitter.com/gRKms2kzK5

― Springboks (@Springboks) September 17, 2023

The Boks continued to dominate after the interval and there were a first Test tries for Fourie ― shortly after he came on to replace captain Bongi Mbonambi at half-time ― and Williams midway through the half.

With the match in the bag, the Boks did not take their foot off the pedal and it was one-way traffic for this game.  In the 53rd minute, South Africa put great pressure on Romania at a scrum close to the try-line and referee Mathieu Raynal had no option but to award a penalty try.

Williams then got his name onto the scoresheet on the hour-mark, which brought up a half century of points, before Mapimpi went over for his second five-pointer shortly afterwards.

It was more of the same in the closing stages as Mapimpi went over for his third five-pointer in the 67th minute before Le Roux capped a fine display when he crossed for his try in the 74th minute which sealed an emphatic victory.

The teams

South Africa:  15 Willie le Roux, 14 Grant Williams, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi (c), 1 Ox Nche
Replacements:  16 Deon Fourie, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Jaden Hendrikse, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Jesse Kriel

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Tevita Manumua, 13 Jason Tomane, 12 Taylor Gontineac, 11 Nicholas Onutu, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Andre Gorin, 5 Marius Iftimiciuc, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements:  16 Robert Irimescu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Thomas Cretu, 19 Stefan Iancu, 20 Damian Stratila, 21 Cristi Boboc, 22 Alin Conache, 23 Gabriel Pop

Referee:  Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees:  Angus Gardner (Australia), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO:  Brett Cronan (Australia)

Johnny Sexton racks up 24-point haul as Ireland cruise past Romania

Johnny Sexton marked his return to action with a 24-point haul as Ireland eased to an 82-8 victory over Romania in their Rugby World Cup opener.

The fly-half played 66 minutes in Bordeaux, and he celebrated his comeback match with two tries and seven conversions as the Irish cruised to five points.

Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Tadhg Beirne (2), Bundee Aki (2), Rob Herring, Peter O’Mahony (2) and Joe McCarthy also crossed in the huge win.

Andy Farrell‘s men were given a jolt by Romania scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu crossing early on but emphatically avoided a major upset ahead of far stiffer tests against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland.

Fly-half Sexton also slotted seven of eight conversions before being withdrawn 16 minutes from time to a standing ovation and now sits just nine points shy of Ronan O’Gara’s national record tally of 1,083.

The 38-year-old was back from his lengthy absence to lead his country into his fourth World Cup, while Mack Hansen replaced Robbie Henshaw on the bench in a late change following his surprise initial omission from the matchday 23.

An expectant sea of green flooded the stands of Stade de Bordeaux in sweltering south-west France.

But it was Romania who made the blistering start.

Sexton’s poor grubber kick was pounced upon by Hinckley Vaovasa, and he raced forward to give half-back partner Rupanu a simple third-minute finish.

🇷🇴 How about that! Romania score first against Ireland early on. #IREvROM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/v0lzDWfmjw

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 9, 2023

Ireland swiftly recovered from the sloppy opening moments to assert their authority.

Gibson-Park benefited from slick interplay involving Sexton, Aki and Garry Ringrose to dive over before Keenan crossed under the posts and flanker Beirne touched down wide on the left.

Rupanu reduced the deficit with a penalty ahead of the first drinks break, but the fourth World Cup meeting between the nations rarely threatened to be truly competitive, epitomised by an early Mexican wave.

Ireland had won all of the past clashes – nine in total – and had the bonus point in the bag in the 34th minute when the rampaging Aki claimed a fine solo score shortly after Romania full-back Marius Simionescu was sin-binned for obstruction.

Sexton got in on the act in the final moments of the half, crossing under the posts before overcoming a bang suffered in the process to slot the extras and make it 33-8 at the interval.

Ireland players had spoken all week of wanting to begin with a bang by producing a statement victory.

Undeterred by the stifling conditions, the Six Nations Grand Slam champions stretched their advantage courtesy of hooker Herring and flanker O’Mahony dotting down amid prolonged pressure.

Sexton’s 17th Test try added further gloss to the scoreline before a first for 22-year-old lock McCarthy and a second of the afternoon for O’Mahony enhanced Romania’s punishment.

Aki, who was sent off against Samoa in his last World Cup outing, and Beirne became the third and fourth men in green to claim a brace.

Replacement number 10 Crowley successfully added the extras from his four conversions as Ireland ruthlessly dispatched the team ranked 19th in the world to stretch their record-winning run to 14 matches and satisfy the bulk of the 41,170 crowd.

The teams

Ireland:  15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jonathan Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Peter O’Mahony, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements:  16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Mack Hansen

Romania:  15 Marius Simionescu, 14 Nicolas Onutu, 13 Fonovai Tangimana, 12 Jason Tomane, 11 Tevita Manumua, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 8 Cristian Chirica (c), 7 Vlad Neculau, 6 Florian Rosu, 5 Stefan Iancu, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Alexandru Gordas, 2 Ovidiu Cojocaru, 1 Iulian Hartig
Replacements:  16 Florin Bardasu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Gheorghe Gajion, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Dragos Ser, 21 Alin Conache, 22 Tudor Boldor, 23 Taylor Gontineac

Referee:  Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees:  Wayne Barnes (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO:  Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

Clinical Italy cruise past 14-man Romania to seal their first win of the year

Italy trounced 14-man Romania – who lost lock Adrian Motoc early on – running in a whopping nine tries to one en route to a 57-7 triumph in San Benedetto del Tronto on Saturday.

It was a clinical performance from the home side, who dominated for long periods, but their task was made much easier after referee Luke Pearce issued a red card to Motoc in the 10th minute, after he led with his head while clearing out Italy captain Michele Lamaro at a ruck.

In the end, the Azzurri had too much class for the Oaks with Ange Capuozzo leading the way with a brace of tries while Paolo Odogwu, Monty Ioane, Alessandro Garbisi, Giacomo Nicotera, Juan Ignacio Brex, Dino Lamb and Toa Halafihi also crossed the whitewash.

Paolo Garbisi also succeeded with six conversions while Romania’s only points came via a penalty try as Italy clinched their first victory of the year.

The Azzurri were in control of proceedings from the outset and opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute when Odogwu did well to escape the attentions of two defenders ― after Paolo Garbisi found him with a well-timed skip pass ― before crossing in the right-hand corner.

The latter failed with the conversion attempt but Italy continued to hold the upper and things went from bad to worse for the visitors when Motoc received his marching orders soon after.

With a one-man advantage, the home side upped the ante on attack and soon after Motoc’s departure fly-half Paolo Garbisi offloaded to Ioane, who had an easy run-in over the try-line.

Italy continued to dominate as the half progressed and were rewarded with their third try in the 16th minute when scrum-half Alessandro Garbisi outpaced the cover defence before dotting down.

The older Garbisi added the extras which meant the Azzurri were holding a 19-0 lead before Capuozzo got his name onto the scoresheet with a breakaway try from just inside his half midway through the opening period.

The hosts continued to attack and in the 28th minute Nicotera ran onto a pass from Lamaro before burrowing his way over the try-line from close quarters.

10 minutes later, the Oaks made a rare attack inside Italy’s half and they were soon camped inside the hosts’ 22.  They put plenty of pressure on the Azzurri before being rewarded a penalty try after a cynical defensive foul from Lamaro close to his try-line.

🇮🇹🇷🇴 Italy make light work of Romania in San Benedetto del Tronto to seal their first win of the year! #ITAvROM #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/wtuDUkgI0C

― Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 19, 2023

That meant the teams changed sides with Italy holding a 31-7 lead but despite having their captain in the sin bin, the Azzurri were fastest out of the blocks after the restart when Brex rounded off a flowing move which Paolo Garbisi started inside his own half.

Soon after that, Romania were reduced to 13 men when Cristian Chirica was yellow carded after a clash of heads while tackling Ioane.  That happened in the 46th minute and eight minutes later the home side were rewarded when Capuozzo crossed for his second try in spectacular fashion out wide.

In the 66th minute, relentless pressure from the Azzurri resulted in a converted try from Lamb which brought up a half century of points before Halafihi crossed for their final try in the 72nd minute ― which Garbisi also converted ― to seal an emphatic win.

Romania claim win over Canada

Canada were beaten 25-9 by Romania in Edmonton on Saturday in their final Test match before their 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying series.

Canada kicked three penalties from Gordon McRorie but also had two tries disallowed in a fierce game that saw a red card and two yellows.

The hosts went 3-0 up through McRorie in the 12th minute but Romania hit back with their first try, coming from back-row Viorel Lucaci.

However, the 23rd minute saw a red card for Romania's Otar Turashvili after punching Canada's Tyler Ardron.  On the same play, Ardron saw yellow.  From the ensuing penalty, McRorie cut the Romania lead to 7-6, a lead the visiting team would take into the half-time turnaround.

It was an exceptional start to the second half for Romania as they scored less than a minute in through Fonovai Tangimana before McRorie hit back with another penalty to make it 14-9.

Florin Vlaicu's penalty made it 17-9 before controversy struck again.  Van der Merwe seemed to win a high ball from a cross-field kick and a few phases later Ardron had scored for Canada.  But after another TMO review, the try was ruled off and Van der Merwe was sent to the sin bin for contesting a high ball and making contact above the shoulders.

Tangimana would grab his second try of the day in the 62nd minute before a late Vlaicu penalty sealed the result.

The scorers:

For Canada:
Pens:  McRorie 3
Yellow Cards:  Ardron, Van der Merwe

For Romania:
Tries:  Lucaci, Tangimana 2
Cons:  Vlaicu 2
Pens:  Vlaicu 2
Red Card:  Turashvili

Canada:  15 Ciaran Hearn, 14 DTH van der Merwe (cc), 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Nick Blevins, 11 Sean Duke, 10 Connor Braid, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Matt Heaton, 6 Tyler Ardron, 5 Evan Olmstead, 4 Brett Beukeboom (cc), 3 Matt Tierney, 2 Ray Barkwill, 1 Anthony Luca
Replacements:  16 Benoit Piffero, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Ryan Ackerman, 19 Conor Keys, 20 Kyle Baillie, 21 Phil Mack, 22 Shane O'Leary, 23 Andrew Coe

Romania:  15 Luke Samoa, 14 Fonovai Tangimana, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Sione Fakaosilea, 11 Ionut Dumitru, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Mihai Macovei (c), 7 Viorel Lucaci, 6 Vlad Nistor, 5 Valentin Poparlan, 4 Johannes Van Heerden, 3 Andrei Ursache, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Ionel Badiu
Replacements:  16 Constantin Pristavita, 17 Andrei Radoi, 18 Alexandru Tarus, 19 Marius Antonescu, 20 Andrei Gorcioaia, 21 Tudorel Bratu, 22 Vladut Popa, 23 Marius Simionescu

Referee:  Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
Assistant Referees:  Andrew Brace (Ireland), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Japan too good for Romania

Japan claimed a 33-21 win over Romania in their first Test of their June campaign at Egao Kenko Stadium, Kumamoto on Saturday.

Tries from Akihito Yamada, Kenki Fukuoka and Michael Leitch saw them to the success, with Jumpei Ogura kicking 18 points from the tee.

In reply Mihai Macovei scored twice for Romania in defeat.

Japan led 23-9 at the interval after an impressive 40 minutes that saw them cross twice while limiting the Romanians to only penalty goals.

Vlaicu added two penalties to make it 0-6 but the Brave Blossoms hit back with scores from Yamada and Fukuoka with Ogura kicking well.

The first score of the second-half was always going to be crucial and it went the way of the home side when Leitch crossed two minutes in.  That made it 30-9 with the extras to leave Romania a mountain to climb as changes began to be made from both head coaches in Kumamoto.

Romania would strike next though through captain Macovei and with Heiichiro Ito yellow carded on 63 minutes, the visitors sensed a chance.

Macovei scored again on 66 minutes and with Vlaicu's conversion the Romanians were now just 33-21 behind, setting up an intriguing finish.

But Japan would hold on to start their June Test campaign on a positive note.

The scorers:

For Japan:
Tries:  Yamada, Fukuoka, Leitch
Cons:  Ogura 3
Pens:  Ogura 4
Yellow Card:  Ito

For Romania:
Tries:  Macovei 2
Con:  Vlaicu
Pens:  Vlaicu 3

Japan:  15 Ryuji Noguchi, 14 Akihito Yamada, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Derek Carpenter, 11 Kenki Fukuoka, 10 Jumpei Ogura, 9 Fumiaka Tanaka, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Yoshitaka Tokunaga, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Uwe Helu, 4 Kotaro Yatabe, 3 Takuma Ashara, 2 Shota Horie (c), 1 Koki Yamamoto
Replacements:  16 Yusuke Niwai, 17 Keita Inagaki, 18 Heiichiro Ito, 19 Yuya Odo, 20 Hendrik Tui, 21 Keisuke Uchida, 22 Yu Tamura, 23 Kotaro Matsushima

Romania:  15 Sabin Stratila, 14 Fonovai Tangimana, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Sione Fakaosilea, 11 Jack Cobden, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Mihai Macovei (c), 7 Viorel Lucaci, 6 Andrei Gorcioaia, 5 Marius Antonescu, 4 Johannes Van Heerden, 3 Andrei Ursache, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Ionel Badiu
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Constantin Pristavita, 18 Alexandru Tarus, 19 Valentin Poparlan, 20 Vlad Nistor, 21 Tudorel Bratu, 22 Luke Samoa, 23 Ionut Dumitru

Referee:  Alex Ruiz (France)
Assistant Referees:  JP Doyle (England), Will Houston (Australia)
TMO:  Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

Romania see off Canada

Romania picked up a 21-16 victory over Canada in their November international fixture at Stadionul Arcul de Triumf on Saturday.

Canada led early on thanks to a penalty from scrum-half Gordon McRorie but on five minutes Florin Vlaicu responded to level in Bucharest.

Six minutes later the Romanians moved in front when fly-half Vlaicu crossed for a try which he converted, putting them 10-3 in the clear.

McRorie reduced matters down to four points on 15 minutes but when wing Ionu Dumitru scored Romania's second try the hosts were 15-6 ahead, before Vlaicu added another three points off the tee on 31 minutes.  That was how things ended going into the dressing rooms at the break.

It took 15 minutes from the resumption before the next score and it was via a Vlaicu penalty.  But McRorie responded soon after for 21-9.

Then came a morale-boosting try from Canada as replacement scrum-half Phil Mack crossed with Connor Braid's extras making it 21-16.  But Romania managed to see out the closing five minutes to claim the win.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Tries:  Vlaicu, Dumitru
Con:  Vlaicu
Pens:  Vlaicu 3

For Canada:
Try:  Mack
Con:  Braid
Pens:  McRorie 3

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Fonovai Tangimana, 13 Jack Umaga, 12 Vladut Popa, 11 Ionu Dumitru, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Andrei Gorcioaia, 7 Stelian Burcea (c), 6 Viorel Lucaci, 5 Marius Antonescu, 4 Johannes Van Heerden, 3 Alexandru Tarus, 2 Eugen Capatana, 1 Mihaita Lazar
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Ionel Badiu, 18 Alexandru Gordas, 19 Valentin Poparlan, 20 Cristian Chirica, 21 Valentin Calafeteanu, 22 Nicolas Onutu, 23 Stephen Shennan

Canada:  15 Matt Evans, 14 DTH van der Merwe (c), 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ben Lesage, 11 Taylor Paris, 10 Connor Braid, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Admir Cejvanovic, 7 Matt Heaton, 6 Kyle Baillie, 5 Evan Olmstead, 4 Brett Beukeboom, 3 Jake Ilnicki, 2 Ray Barkwill, 1 Djustice Sears-Duru
Replacements:  16 Eric Howard, 17 Rob Brouwer, 18 Ryan Kotlewski, 19 Conor Keys, 20 Clay Panga, 21 Phil Mack, 22 Pat Parfrey, 23 Ciaran Hearn

Referee:  Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
Assistant Referees:  Luke Pearce (England), Gary Conway (Ireland)
TMO:  Stefano Pennè (Italy)

Italy too strong for Romania

Italy finished their Rugby World Cup campaign on a high with a 32-22 victory over Romania at Sandy Park in Exeter on Sunday.

The four-tries-to-three victory ensures the Azzurri qualify directly for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan as they finish third in Pool D, with two wins from their four games.

The scoreline will perhaps add weight to calls for Romania's inclusion into an expanded Six Nations tournament but, to be fair, they looked well beaten on the hour mark.

It's a tough argument because the Oaks need more exposure to Tier-One competition if they are to continue their progress, but they were a step below Italy in most sectors of a hard-fought game that saw the Italian pack match their powerful opponents from Eastern Europe for sheer grunt.

Romania dominated the stats both in terms of possession and territory but they struggled to contain the Italian attack, with the Azzurri making double the amount of line breaks as they beat 22 defenders.

Italy ran in three unanswered tries to lead 22-3 at the interval as wing Leonardo Sarto and half-back duo Edoardo Gori and Tommaso Allan all touched down.

Number eight Alessandro Zanni scored early in the second half to secure the bonus point and put the final result beyond doubt — although Romania did their best to repeat the comeback heriocs of last week's win over Canada.

The Oaks kept fighting and finished strongly with three tries in the final quarter — two via replacement wing Adrian Apostol.

First Apostol bashed his way over the whitewash off the back of a powerful scrum before lock Valentin Poparlan went over at the back of a maul.

Apostol dived into the corner in the dying minutes to add some gloss to the scoreline.

Man of the match:  A few candidates to consider from both teams including Tommaso Allan, who finished with 17 points, but we'll go for Edoardo Gori, who was a real livewire and deserved his try.

Moment of the match:  Romania were hanging in there, but Allan's try just before half time gave Italy the lead they needed to see out the game.

Villain of the match:  Nothing rough enough to mention.

The scorers:

For Italy:
Tries:  Sarto, Gori, Allan, Zanni
Cons:  Allan 3
Pens:  Allan 2

For Romania:
Tries:  Apostol 2, Poparlan
Cons:  Vlaicu 2
Pen:  Vlaicu
Yellow card:  Van Heerden

Italy:  15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Tommaso Benvenuti, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Alessandro Zanni, 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Josh Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys (captain), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Andrea Manici, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements:  16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Valerio Bernabò, 20 Samuela Vunisa, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Enrico Bacchin.

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Madalin Lemnaru, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Florin Vlaicu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Michael Wiringi, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Viorel Lucaci, 6 Valentin Ursache (c), 5 Johannes van Heerden, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Horatiu Pungea, 19 Marius Antonescu, 20 Stelian Burcea, 21 Tudorel Bratu, 22 Adrian Apostol, 23 Csaba Gal.

Venue:  Sandy Park, Exeter
Referee:  Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees:  George Clancy (Ireland), Mathieu Raynal (France)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Romania fight back to edge Canada

Romania overturned a 15-point deficit to bag their first win at Rugby World Cup 2015 via a 17-15 victory over Pool D rivals Canada in Leicester on Tuesday.

Having trailed 15-0 early in the second half, Romania launched an impressive comeback, with the power of their forwards turning the tables on a Canadian side that had controlled the game for the first 50 minutes.

Tries from Canadian wingers DTH van der Merwe and Jeff Hassler either side of half-time looked to have secured the result in a game played in difficult conditions.

But Romanian skipper Mihai Macovei scored twice in the last half hour before Florin Vlaicu slotted a late, long-range penalty to snatch a thrilling win for the Oaks.

The result ends a eight-game RWC losing streak for Romania and leaves Canada to harbour a number of regrets after their narrow loss to Italy earlier in the tournament.

Heavy rain showers before kick-off and then intermittently during the match made running rugby tricky but Canada's more expansive approach nevertheless paid dividends as they built a handy lead.

Canada led 8-0 at the interval thanks to a well-taken try just before the break from Van der Merwe, who has now scored in four consecutive RWC games.

Despite the slippery surface the Canucks played with plenty of width with their back three especially prominent, but were met by a well-organised and resolute Romanian defence.

A soft yellow card for full-back Catalin Fercu after his mid-air collision with Nick Blevins didn't help the Romanian cause.

The Oaks used their powerful pack as their main weapon but crucially missed out on points after choosing a five-metre scrum only to be penalised.

Hassler stretched the lead early in the second half with a barnstorming run to score after a break by Nathan Hirayama put Canada on the attack.  Hirayama also provided the conversion to give Canada a 15-0 lead.

Romania didn't go down quietly though as a pushover try on the 50-minute mark kept the game alive with Macovei touching down and Florin Vlaicu adding the conversion.

There was late drama to come as Jebb Sinclair was sin-binned for coming into the side of maul and Romania used their extra man to lay the platform for Macovei to break off a wheeling scrum, stretching out an arm to score.

Vlaicu hit the conversion to cut the gap to single point and set up a grandstand finish.

Cruelly for Canada, long-time servant and skipper Jamie Cudmore was the man to give away the penalty that would cost them victory, as Vlaicu hit the target from 45 metres out in the 78th minute.

Man of the match:  Having scored both his team's tries, captain Mihai Macovei has to get the gong as he continued his impressive form in the World Cup.

Moment of the match:  It wasn't an easy kick, but Florin Vlaicu help his nerve to slot the winner after a couple of earlier misses.

Villain of the match:  Nothing rough enough to mention.

The scorers:

For Canada:
Tries:  Van der Merwe, Hassler
Con:  Hirayama
Pen:  McRorie
Yellow Card:  Sinclair

For Romania:
Tries:  Macovei 2
Cons:  Vlaicu 2
Pen:  Vlaicu
Yellow Card:  Fercu

Canada:  15 Harry Jones, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Nick Blevins, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Nathan Hirayama, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 John Moonlight, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Jamie Cudmore (c), 4 Brett Beukeboom, 3 Doug Wooldridge, 2 Ray Barkwill, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Benoit Piffero, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Jake Ilnicki, 19 Kyle Gilmour, 20 Nanyak Dala, 21 Phil Mack, 22 Conor Trainor, 23 James Pritchard

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Madalin Lemnaru, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Florin Vlaicu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Michael Wiringi, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Mihai Macovei (c), 7 Viorel Lucaci, 6 Valentin Ursache, 5 Johannes van Heerden, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Alexandru Tarus, 19 Daniel Carpo, 20 Stelian Burcea, 21 Valentin Calafeteanu, 22 Adrian Apostol, 23 Csaba Gal.

Referee:  Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees:  Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Marius Mitrea (Italy)
TMO:  Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Six-try Ireland march on

Ireland eventually cruised past Romania by 44-10 in front of a record crowd for a Rugby World Cup match at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

It took the Six Nations champions over 60 minutes to notch up their bonus point try before they ran riot late on, watched by 89,267 fans of which well over half were present wearing green.

Ireland wingers Keith Earls and Tommy Bowe both scored either side of half-time and the Pool D favourites never looked out of control at any moment, even if it took longer than planned to ensure they took away maximum points — a compliment to Romania who were dogged and snuffed out a number of Irish attacks without troubling the scoreboard themselves until a late consolation try from Ovidiu Tonita.

The only real negative for Ireland was the withdrawal of Rob Kearney after he came on in the second half as a replacement, although he left the field unassisted.

Chris Henry and Simon Zebo were both noticeable standouts for Ireland, who ultimately finished with six tries.

Everybody but referee Craig Joubert thought Zebo has produced the try of the tournament after a brilliant score in the corner following some of his trademark footballing skill, but a look from the TMO confirmed that his foot had been in touch.

Ireland would have to wait a little longer, not too long though, as Tommy Bowe ended his seven-game try drought with an inch-perfect finish by the corner flag after Ireland exploited an overlap.

Madigan's second penalty made it 13-3 as the Six Nations champions flexed their muscles, finding complete control at the lineout.

Zebo had provided the final pass for Bowe's try and was once more the provider when Ireland struck again, floating out a perfect pass to his Munster team-mate Keith Earls who dipped his head and sprinted for the line.

It took 33 minutes until the game's first scrum, normally Romania's stronghold, but they were well pressured by Ireland who completely dominated possession (71 per cent) and territory (76 per cent) throughout the first half.

Yet their lead was only 15 points going into the break up 18-3 thanks to those tries from their two wingers.

It took all of three minutes into the second half for Earls to strike again.  Eoin Reddan's low rolling kick bounced up perfectly for Earls to rush behind the Romania defence and dot down, with Madigan landing the wide conversion.  In the process Earls levelled Brian O'Driscoll's record of seven Rugby World Cup tries for Ireland.

Credit to Romania, their heads never dropped.  Adrian Apostol's break down the touchline sparked a long attack in Irish territory, only for Richardt Strauss to strike at the breakdown with a turnover.

Earls was denied the chance of a hat-trick after going off for a Head Injury Assessment.

Wembley's mexican wave produced such volume that Romania had to form a huddle in order to call their lineout, but they continued to frustrate with key turnovers deep in their own 22.

They were close to going down to 14 men after Florin Ionita's dangerous tackle in the air on Paddy Jackson, only resulting in a penalty, but it set up Ireland in the Romanian 22 and ultimately led to their bonus point try.

Reddan's loop with Jackson created the space out wide for Bowe to grab his second try, shortly followed over by replacement Rob Kearney after another Zebo break created by Ireland's clever runners in their backline.

Ireland's sixth try was all about forward power as Henry came up with the ball after an unstoppable rolling maul.

Veteran lock Tonita came up with a deserved score for Romania after their defensive work and kept Ireland from scoring a seventh try into overtime, but the job was long done for Ireland as they take ten points from their first two games.

Man of the Match:  A close call as Ireland's back three all shone but Simon Zebo was all class for Ireland, providing two assists and close to pulling off a spectacular score of his own.

Moment of the Match:  Not actually during the 80 minutes but afterwards following Romania's lap of the pitch to warm applause from the crowd, scrum-half Florin Surugiu proposed to his girlfriend out on the field, who said yes!

Villain of the Match:  Nothing nasty to report.

The scorers:

For Ireland:
Tries:  Bowe 2, Earls 2, Kearney, Henry
Cons:  Madigan 4
Pens:  Madigan 2

For Romania:
Try:  Tonita
Con:  Vlaicu
Pen:  Calafeteanu
Yellow Card:  Gal

Ireland:  15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Darren Cave, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Nathan White, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements:  16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Paul O'Connell, 20 Sean O'Brien, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Paddy Jackson, 23 Rob Kearney

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Adrian Apostol, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Csaba Gal, 11 Ionut Botezatu , 10 Michael Wiringi, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Mihai Macovei (c), 6 Valentin Ursache, 5 Ovidiu Tonita, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Andrei Radoi, 1 Andrei Ursache
Replacements:  16 Mihaita Lazar, 17 Otar Turashvili, 18 Alexandru Tarus, 19 Johan Van Heerden, 20 Stelian Burcea, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Florin Vlaicu

Referee:  Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Leighton Hodges (Wales),Romain Poite (France)
TMO:  Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Uninspiring France battle past Oaks

France made heavy weather of beating Romania, 38-11, eventually picking up a bonus point win after an underwhelming display.

After being thoroughly outplayed at the breakdown, France needed a ten-minute spell with an extra man to finally break Romania down in the first half, with Sofiane Guitoune and Yannick Nyanga crossing to give them a 17-6 half-time lead.

Despite a stern talking to from a furious Philippe Saint-André, things didn't get much better in the second half, with France only threatening on the all too rare occasions they injected some pace into the game.

They finally picked things up in the final quarter, with Guitoune grabbing his second and Wesley Fofana then crossing for the crucial fourth try as Romania started to slip off some tackles.

Gaël Fickou sealed the win after Valentin Ursache had crossed for the Oaks, who deserved their try having caused les Bleus all sorts of problems.

That win keeps France on course for a pool decider with Ireland but on this display, they will have to improve a great deal to avoid a defeat and a likely quarter-final against the All Blacks.

For their part, Romania continued the impressive displays of the so called lesser teams in this tournament, but apart from their excellent scrum and breakdown work, were a little too limited to make their possession and territorial dominance in the first half count.

Romania drew first blood at scrum-time, disrupting a French put-in to earn a penalty with just two minutes on the board.  Unfortunately for the Romanians, their lineout wasn't quite so hot, overthrowing the jumper and losing their first possession in French territory.

While their scrum was going well, the worry for the Romanians was how easy France were making ground, with Wesley Fofana going clean through with his first touch.

Eventually France found themselves five metres out and when the Romanian defence sprinted up too quickly, it handed Morgan Parra an easy opportunity to open the scoring with a penalty in front.

However after a shaky start, Romania started to come into it, and when Adrian Apostol kicked through Brice Dulin was pressured on his own line, conceding a penalty which the Romanians kicked to the corner.  While their maul was stopped, a series of drives stretched the French defence, opening things up for Florin Vlaicu to get over.

Unfortunately for the centre Bernard le Roux did brilliantly hold him up initially, before a pile of bodies obscured any potential touchdown.  With penalty advantage Romania took the three points through their centre to level the scores after 20 minutes.

The Romanian pack was bossing their counterparts, with the French lineout in disarray and countless breakdown penalties as Romania threw bodies into rucks.  After yet another turnover France strayed offside, giving the Oaks the chance to take the lead, only for Vlaicu to pull an easy chance wide.

While France had been struggling at everything else, their maul was at least functioning.  After one such play Romania were forced to haul down the onrushing pack, with Paulica Ion sin-binned as a result.

Les Bleus went straight back to the maul, and while it didn't work, it opened up space on the blindside for Parra to put Guitoune into space.  The winger had just enough strength to reach over and dot down.  Parra's conversion from the touchline made it 10-3.

That try seemed to liberate France and they were over again two minutes later.  After a searing break in midfield from Dulin, France recycled quickly.  This time Uini Atonio burst through in midfield and with the Romanians scrambling, Alexandre Flanquart delayed his pass perfectly before putting Nyanga over on the right.  Parra again added the extras from the touchline and suddenly it was a 17-3 lead.

Despite being down to 14, Romania kept battling, and created one chance when Catalin Fercu opened up some space for Apostol.  He found his full-back again inside him but Guitoune was back in time to drag him into touch.

They were still causing France problems at the breakdown, and another turnover led to a penalty for slowing the ball down, with Vlaicu making no mistake this time to cut the deficit to 11 on the stroke of half-time.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with France still struggling at the breakdown but causing problems with their maul.  They lacked patience however, with one little chip over the top from Parra clearly the wrong option with his team approaching the line.

Inaccurate and lethargic, France played into their opponents' hands by playing at a snail's pace, only raising the tempo in the final quarter of an hour.

When they did pick up the pace, Romania struggled to disrupt them at the breakdown, with one quick passage eventually sending Guitoune over for his second, showing power to force his way over.  Parra again slotted the tricky conversion and France led 24-6 with 13 minutes left to get a bonus point.

It didn't take them long, with the Oaks starting to tire.  After some more quick hands, France's offloading game finally clicking, Fofana spun out of two tackles and dotted down to seal the five points.  Rory Kockott, on for Parra, added the conversion for les Bleus.

But quite rightly Romania got the try they deserved.  Having failed to deal with the French maul all game, they showed they could do the same with Ursache, undoubtedly their best player, the man to crash over.

Guitoune almost had a hat-trick after an acrobatic finish following a chip over the top, but he couldn't quite get the ball down before running out of space in-goal.

There was still time for a fifth try, with Fickou showing his quick feet when running an excellent line, weaving through the defence and over for a simple score.

Man of the match:  There had been question marks over his selection after a disappointing display against England in the warm-ups, but Sofiane Guitoune scored two tries and also stood up in defence with a couple of crucial tackles.  There are tougher tests to come but he did as well as he could have.

Moment of the match:  Florin Vlaicu came desperately close to the first try, getting over the line but being held up by Bernard le Roux and Sofiane Guitoune.  With France wobbling, that try might just have sparked an upset.

Villain of the match:  No nasty business to report.

The scorers:

For France:
Tries:  Guitoune 2, Nyanga, Fofana, Fickou
Cons:  Parra 3, Kockott 2
Pen:  Parra

For Romania:
Try:  V Ursache
Pens:  Vlaicu 2
Yellow Card:  Ion

The teams:

France:  15 Brice Dulin, 14 Sofiane Guitoune, 13 Gaël Fickou, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Noa Nakaitaci, 10 Rémi Talès, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Alexandre Flanquart, 4 Bernard le Roux, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski (c), 1 Vincent Debaty
Replacements:  16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Eddy Ben Arous, 18 Nicolas Mas, 19 Yoann Maestri, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Rory Kockott, 22 Frédéric Michalak, 23 Mathieu Bastareaud

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Madalin Lemnaru, 13 Paula Kinikinilau, 12 Florin Vlaicu, 11 Adrian Apostol, 10 Danut Dumbrava, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Mihai Macovei (c), 7 Viorel Lucaci, 6 Valentin Ursache, 5 Johan Van Heerden, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Horatiu Pungea, 19 Ovidiu Tonita, 20 Stelian Burcea, 21 Valentin Calafeteanu, 22 Ionut Botezatu, 23 Csaba Gal

Venue:  Olympic Stadium, London
Referee:  Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees:  Craig Joubert (South Africa), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO:  George Ayoub (Australia)

Romania battle past Canada

Romania fly-half Florin Vlaicu kicked all of his side's points as they got the better of Canada, prevailing 18-9 at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf.

The victory was Romania's first of November as they bounced back from defeats to USA and Japan with this gritty success in Bucharest.

Canada could only muster three penalty goals in the game but did take the lead via full-back James Pritchard's boot before Vlaicu responded in the 28th and 37th minute for a 6-3 half-time lead.

Gordon McRorie did level for Canada in the 47th minute but Romania then churned through the three-pointers as pivot Vlaicu added four more penalties to Pritchard's second to seal the win.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Pen:  Vlaicu 6

For Canada:
Pen:  Pritchard 2, McRorie

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Stelian Burcea, 7 Valentin Ursache, 6 Mihai Macovei (capt), 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Alin Coste, 3 Horatiu Pungea, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Andrei Ursache, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Marius Antonescu, 20 Vlad Nistor, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu.

Canada:  15 James Pritchard, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Conor Trainor, 12 Ciaran Hearn, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Patrick Parfrey, 9 Gordon McRorie, 8 Tyler Ardron (capt), 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Jebb Sinclair, 5 Jon Phelan, 4 Jamie Cudmore, 3 Jason Marshall, 2 Aaron Carpenter, 1 Hubert Buydens.
Replacements:  16 Ray Barkwill, 17 Andrew Tiedemann, 18 Doug Wooldridge, 19 Kyle Gilmour, 20 Richard Thorpe, 21 Sean White, 22 Jordan Wilson-Ross, 23 Nick Blevins.

Referee:  Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistant referees:  Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Television match official:  Geoff Warren (England)

Goromaru boots Japan past Romania

Japan full-back Ayumu Goromaru knocked over six penalties to give his team the win over Romania in Bucharest on Saturday.

Romania picked up the game's only five-pointer with a penalty try to put the hosts 10-3 ahead after half an hour, before the Brave Blossoms pulled through.

Japan started brightly and had the bulk of the possession but could not convert their overwhelming dominance into points.

Goromaru opened the scoring with a penalty after 16 minutes but the Oaks responded in style, taking a 10-3 advantage after fly-half Florin Vlaicu scored a penalty, before the home pack earned the only try in the game during an impressive 10-minute spell.

The visitors reduced the deficit to only one point at halftime after Goromaru slotted two more penalties and he confirmed his fine kicking form with three more penalties after the break.

Vlaicu made it 18-13 less than 10 minutes from time before missing another penalty in the closing stages at the Arch of Triumph National Rugby Stadium.

Romania host Canada next Saturday while Japan visit Georgia on the following day.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Try:  Penalty Try
Con:  Vlaicu
Pens:  Vlaicu 2
Yellow Card:  Sirbe

For Japan:
Pens:  Goromaru 6

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu 14 Dorin Manole, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Robert Dascalu, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Mihai Macovei, 6 Ovidiu Tonita 5 Valentin Popirlan, 4 Marius Serbs, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Andrei Radoi, 1 Andrei Ursache,
Replacements:16 Otar Turashvili, 17 Mihaita Lazar, 18 Horace bags, 19 Alin Coste, 20 Stelian Burca, Grigoras 21 Diaconescu, 22 Florin Ionita, 23 Robert Neagu

Japan:  15 Ayumu Goromaru, 14 Karne Hesketh, 13 Kotaro Matsushima, 12 Male Sau, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Atsushi Hiwasa, 8 Amanaki Lelei Mafi, 7 Michael Leitch, 6 Hendrik Tui, 5 Shinya Makabe, 4 Shoji Ito, 3 Kensuke Hatakeyama, 2 Takeshi Kizu, 1 Masataka Mikami.
Replacements:  16 Keita Inagaki, 17 Hiroki Yuhara, 18 Hiroshi Yamashita, 19 Hitoshi Ono, 20 Hayden Hopgood , 21 Yuki Yatomi, 22 Harumichi Tatekawa, 23 Toshiaki Hirose.

Referee:  Stuart Berry (South Africa)

Fiji power past Romania

Fiji ended Romania's unbeaten run in 2013 on Saturday with a 26-7 victory at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest.

After losing narrowly to Italy last week, Fiji, who led 16-7 at half time, outscored their hosts three tries to one.

The Islanders' three tries came from Metuisela Talebula, Nemani Nadolo and Timoci Nagusa, with Romania replying through a penalty try.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Try:  Penalty try
Con:  Vlaicu

For Fiji:
Tries:  Talebula, Nadolo, Nagusa
Con:  Bai
Pens:  Bai 2, Nadolo
Yellow card:  Nadolo

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Ionut Dumitru, 13 Catalin Dascalu, 12 Csaba Gal, 11 Florin Ionita, 10 Florin Vlaicu, 9 Valentin Calafeteanu, 8 Mihai Macovei (c), 7 Viorel Lucaci, 6 Alexandru Mitu, 5 Marius Sirbe, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Constantin Pristavita, 18 Horatiu Pungea, 19 Alin Coste, 20 Dorin Lazar, 21 Florin Surugiu, 22 Stephan Hihetah, 23 Cristian Dinis.

Fiji:  15 Metuisela Talebula, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 12 Nemani Nadolo, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 Serenaia Bai, 9 Nemia Kenatale, 8 Sakiusa Matadigo, 7 Akapusi Qera (c), 6 Malakai Ravulo, 5 Apisai Naikatini, 4 Wame Lewaravu, 3 Setefano Somoca, 2 Seremaia Namaralevu, 1 Jereremaia Yanuyanutawa.
Replacements:  16 Peni Ravai, 17 Campese Ma'afu, 18 Manasa Saulo, 19 Sam Matavesi, 20 Nemani Nagusa, 21 Henry Seniloli, 22 Waisea Luveniyali, 23 Malakai Bakaniceva.

Venue:  Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Referee:  Dudley Phillips (Ireland)

Last-gasp penalty sinks Canada

A last-minute penalty from centre Florin Vlaicu saw Romania overcome touring Canada 21-20 in dramatic fashion Bucharest on Saturday.

The Maple Leaves defended well early on, and indeed were dynamic and powerful when given the chance to attack, but fell behind to two Vlaicu penalties in the opening fifteen minutes to trail 6-0.

Canada responded well, however, with sustained pressure on the Romanian line yielding a try under the posts for captain Tyler Ardron, with the conversion putting the visitors into the lead for the first time.

A brace of three-pointers from Vlaicu saw the home side regain the ascendancy and a 12-7 lead going into the break.

The early portion of the second-half belonged to the transatlantic team, and Harry Jones was able to slot a penalty to cut the gap to two points.

Jones himself then bagged a try less than ten minutes later, and slotted the conversion to give the Canadians a 17-12 lead.

But the Maple Leaves' indiscipline was to prove costly, as they fell behind once more to another duo of Vlaicu penalties.

Substitute James Pritchard managed to restore a slender two-point advantage for the visitors, but there was to be a twist in the tale.

With time dead, Vlaicu stepped up once more to nail his sixth penalty, and a more-boosting win for the hosts.

Scorers:

For Romania:
Penalties:  Vlaicu 6

For Canada:
Tries:  Ardron, Jones
Conversions:  Jones 2
Penalties:  Jones 2

The teams:

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Ionut Dumitru, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Florin Vlaicu, 11 Florin Ionita, 10 Valentin Calafeteanu, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Sandu Stelian Burcea, 7 Mihai Macovei (c), 6 Viorel Lucaci, 5 Marius Sirbe, 4 Alin Coste, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihaita Lazar
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Constantin Pristavita, 18 Horatiu Pungea, 19 Valentin Poparlan, 20 Dorin Lazar, 21 Catalin Robert Dascalu, 22 Cristian Dinis, 23 Gabriel Conache

Canada:  15 Matt Evans, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Ciaran Hearn, 12 Nick Blevins, 11 Phil MacKenzie, 10 Harry Jones, 9 Phil Mack, 8 Tyler Ardron (c), 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Jeff Sinclair, 5 Brett Beukeboom, 4 Tyler Hotson, 3 Andrew Tiedemann, 2 Benoit Piffero, 1 Hubert Buydens
Replacements:  16 Ryan March, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Jake Ilnichi, 19 Adam Kleeberger, 20 Jon Phelan, 21 Jamie Mackenzie, 22 James Pritchard, 23 Conor Trainor

Referee:  Greg Garner
Assistant referees:  Marius Mitrea, Giuseppe Vivarini (both Italy)

Romania edge out Tonga

Romania recorded an historic victory to kicking off their November campaign, beating Tonga 19-18 in a hard-fought contest in Bucharest on Saturday.

Romania have not lost a Test match in 2013, winning seven out of eight and drawing 9-9 with Georgia in March.

In the first ever Test match between the nations, Tonga — who play France on Saturday — outscored their hosts two tries to one, but paid for their poor discipline as they were punished by the boot on Romanian centre Florin Vlaicu.

The game was level 6-6 at the interval with Tonga fly-half Fangatapu 'Apikatoa trading kicks with Vlaicu.

The 'Ikale Tahi scored both their tries in the second half via full-back Lilo Vungakoto and winger Fetu'u Vainikolo.

Romania managed only one try from number eight Mihai Macovei but Vlaicu's four successful penalties proved enough, despite the hosts conceding two yellow cards.

Tonga have only ever won twice against European nations during European Tours.  These were against Portugal 24-19 in Lisbon in 2009 and last year against Scotland 21-15 in Aberdeen.

Romania host Canada on Saturday while Tonga will play France in Le Havre before facing Wales in Cardiff on November 22.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Try:  Macovei
Cons:  Vlaicu
Pens:  Vlaicu 4
Drops:
Yellow cards:  Vlaicu;  Macovei

For Tonga:
Tries:  Vungakoto, Vainikolo
Cons:  'Apikotoa
Pens:  'Apikotoa 2

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Ionut Dumitru, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Florin Vlaicu, 11 Stephen Hihetah, 10 Vali Calafeteanu, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Mihai Macovei (c), 7 Valentin Ursache, 6 Viorel Lucaci, 5 Marius Sirbe, 4 Valentin Poparlan, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Mihai Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Eugen Capatana, 17 Constantin Pristavita, 18 Horatiu Pungea, 19 Alin Coste, 20 Dorin Lazar, 21 Cristian Dinis, 22 Catalin Dascalu, 23 Dorin Manole.

Tonga:  15 Lilo Vungakoto, 14 Viliami Helu, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Sione Piukala, 11 Fetu'u Vainikolo, 10 Fangatapu 'Apikotoa, 9 Tomasi Palu, 8 Viliami Ma'afu, 7 Nili Latu Langilangi (c), 6 Sione Kalamafoni, 5 Uli Kolo'ofai, 4 Lua Lokotui, 3 Tevita Mailau, 2 Taione Vea, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements:  16 Suliasi Taufalele, 17 Eddie Aholelei, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Opeti Fonua, 20 Viliami Fainga'a, 21 Samisoni Fisilau, 22 Latiume Fosita, 23 David Halaifonua Tonga.

Venue:  Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Referee:  Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)

USA run Romania ragged

The USA Eagles eased past Romania 34-3 in Bucharest on Saturday, with Chris Wyles collecting a personal haul of 19 points.

The visitors crossed the whitewash on five occasions with Wyles bagging a brace, while Andrew Suniula, Paul Emerick and Takudzwa Ngwenya also added their name to the scoresheet.

The game was all but wrapped up by half-time as the Americans led 22-3, with pivot Andrei Filip providing the only points for Romania.

The end result, thanks to a committed performance by the forwards, was one of the Eagles most impressive victories in years.

The scorers:

For Romania:
Pen:  Filip

For USA:
Tries:  Wyles 2, A. Suniula, Emerick, Ngwenya
Cons:  Wyles 3
Pen:  Wyles

The teams:

Romania:  15 Catalin Fercu, 14 Madalin Lemnaru, 13 Ionel Cazan, 12 Csaba Gal, 11 Ionut Botezatu, 10 Andrei Filip, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Ovidiu Tonita, 7 Mihai Macovei (c), 6 Vasile Rus, 5 Alin Coste, 4 Cosmin Ratiu, 3 Mihaita Lazar, 2 Otar Turashvili, 1 Petru Tamba.
Replacements:  16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Horatiu Pungea, 18 Vlad Badalicescu, 19 Alexandru Manta, 20 Viorel Lucaci, 21 Grigoras Diaconescu, 22 Ionut Florea, 23 Constantin Gheara.

USA:  15 Chris Wyles, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Andrew Suniula, 11 Luke Hume, 10 Toby L'Estrange, 9 Mike Petri, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Peter Dahl, 6 John Quill, 5 Louis Stanfill, 4 Scott Lavalla, 3 Eric Fry, 2 Chris Biller, 1 Shawn Pittman.
Replacements:  16 Derek Asbun, 17 Nick Wallace, 18 Zachary Fenoglio, 19 Graham Harriman, 20 Inaki Basauri, 21 Robbie Shaw, 22 Roland Suniula, 23 Zachary Pangelinan.

Japan sneak past Romania

Hirotoki Onozawa's try four minutes from the end secured Japan a 34-23 victory over Romania on Saturday in the opener of their four-match tour.

Both sides conceded penalty tries in a three-minute span, Romania deliberately collapsing a maul, and Japan collapsing a scrum, to leave Japan leading by one with eight minutes to go.

But then Fumiaki Tanaka set up Onozawa for a converted try, and there was enough time left for Ayumu Goromaru to bang over his fifth penalty in a personal 19-point haul at the match in Bucharest.

Japan struggled to handle Romania's strength in the scrums and breakdowns, but enjoyed the edge in ball and territory.

The visitors led 17-9 at the break, with a late try by Takashi Kikutani, who capped a flowing move.

On the hour, Romania closed to within a point when pressure on a Japan scrum put-in ended with Romania winger Madalin Lemnaru racing from halfway for a converted try.

Georgia send Romania home winless

Romania depart the 2011 Rugby World Cup without a win to their name after going down to Georgia 25-9 in Palmerston North on Wednesday.

It was a well-deserved victory by the Georgians, who stay on to play Argentina on Sunday with a win under their belt.

Scrappy for the most part, both sides threw everything but the kitchen sink at one another however sprung a major leak with handling errors the order of the evening.

The scrums were to be the weapon of choice for the two teams, with the Romanians winning the battle up front with some powerful work from their forwards who really stamped their authority in that particular department ... but nowhere else.

The Oaks' line-outs, however, were a shambles with skew throw-ins and their catchers doing everything but catch while the backs failed to spark anything with ball in hand.

It wasn't pretty, it wasn't expected to be, but the stop-start spectacle wasn't helped either by the trigger-happy refereeing of Dave Pearson who blew the game to smithereens -- awarding 14 penalties in the first half alone.

Romania started the match the better of the two teams, pushing the Georgians off their feet in the first scrum but failed to turn pressure into points after fly-half Danut Dumbrava missed a simple shot at goal.

Georgia pivot Merab Kvirikashvili showed his opposite number how it should be done after sending over the opening points of the match with a straight-forward penalty.

Dumbrava found his range in the ninth minute, but had to watch Kvirikashvili slot two more penalties before getting a chance in the 33rd minute to add another of his own.

With both sides rarely threatening the tryline, they took their opportunities at points when presented to them and Kvirikashvili was happy to raise the flags once more with the final penalty of the first half to take his team into the half-time sheds 12-6 ahead.

The second half started in the same fashion as the first half ended -- with more penalties.  Yet both goal-kickers made a mess of their attempts after the break.

Then the unbelievable happened:  Georgia managed to string 11 phases together as the Lelos marched towards their opposition tryline before Mamuka Gorgodze powered over for a brilliant team try.

Kvirikashvili added the conversion from bang in front and all of a sudden Georgia were in a commanding 19-6 lead.  I say commanding, because the Oaks hardly came within a sniff of scoring a five-pointer up until this point of the match.

In fact, Georgia's tryline was never in sight of Romania for the remainder of a tight tussle and when Kvirikashvili raised the flags with his fifth successful penalty, it was game over for Romeo Gontineac's side.

When Romania did work their way inside the Georgians' territory, they took the strange decision to kick for points whilst 16 points (22-6) down.

Replacement full-back Florin Vlaicu was successful with his penalty nontheless, but Georgia weren't done and nailed the final nail into Romania's coffin with a three-pointer by Malkhaz Urjukashvili four minutes from full-time.

Man of the match:  In a tight game where penalties ruled the roost, we have to go for Georgia's number ten Merab Kvirikashvili who contributed 17 points with the boot.

Moment of the match:  Um, erm ... hmmm ... ah yes -- Mamuka Gorgodze's try for the Lelos!

Villain of the match:  No punches, pushes or even a horrible word about anyone's second cousin whispered in the ear.

The scorers:

For Georgia:
Try:  Gorgodze
Con:  Kvirikashvili
Pens:  Kvirikashvili 5, Urjukashvili

For Romania:
Pens:  Dumbrava 2, Vlaicu

Georgia:  15 Lasha Khmaladze, 14 Revaz Gigauri, 13 David Kacharava, 12 Tedo Zibzibadze, 11 Alexander Todua, 10 Merab Kvirikashvili, 9 Irakli Abuseridze (c), 8 Dimitri Basilaia, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze, 6 Giorgi Chkhaidze, 5 Vakhtang Maisuradze, 4 Ilia Zedginidze, 3 David Zirakashvili, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 David Khinchagishvili.
Replacements:  16 Goderdzi Shvelidze, 17 Vasil Kakovin, 18 Levan Datunashvili, 19 Givi Berishvili, 20 Bidzina Samkharadze, 21 Irakli Chkhikvadze, 22 Malkhaz Urjukashvili.

Romania:  15 Iulian Dumitras, 14 Stefan Ciuntu, 13 Csaba Gal, 12 Tiberius Dimofte, 11 Madalin Lemnaru, 10 Danut Dumbrava, 9 Florin Surugiu, 8 Daniel Carpo, 7 Ovidiu Tonita, 6 Mihai Macovei, 5 Cristian Petre, 4 Valentin Ursache, 3 Paulica Ion, 2 Marius Tincu (c), 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements:  16 Bogdan Suman, 17 Silviu Florea, 18 Valentin Poparlan, 19 Daniel Ianus, 20 Valentin Calafeteanu, 21 Constantin Gheara, 22 Florin Vlaicu.

Referee:  Dave Pearson (England)