Big Omissions And Surprises

Romania Names Rugby World Cup Squad

Big Omissions and Surprises

Leicester City Stadium, RWC 2015

Romania's head coach, Eugen Apjok, has selected a 33-man squad for the Rugby World Cup, with some notable omissions and surprises. The team will compete in Pool B, alongside South Africa, Scotland, Japan, and Samoa.

One of the most surprising selections is the omission of veteran lock forward Valentin Ursache. Ursache has been a mainstay of the Romanian team for over a decade, but he has been left out of the squad in favor of younger players.

Another notable omission is fly-half Florin Vlaicu. Vlaicu has been Romania's starting fly-half for the past five years, but he has been replaced by younger player Raul-Tudor Pasare. Pasare has been in impressive form for his club side, Steaua Bucharest, and he will be hoping to make his mark on the international stage.

There are also a number of surprises in the squad. One of the most notable is the selection of uncapped winger Ionel Melinte. Melinte has only played a handful of games for Romania's under-20 team, but he has been included in the squad ahead of more experienced players.

Another surprise is the selection of scrum-half Valentin Calafeteanu. Calafeteanu has only played a few games for Romania's senior team, but he has been preferred to more experienced players such as Lucian Dumitru and Florin Surugiu.

Apjok has made only one change to his forwards, replacing Ursache with younger player Andrei Ursache. However, he has made a number of changes to his backline, with Pasare, Melinte, and Calafeteanu all coming into the starting lineup.

Romania will face South Africa in their opening match of the World Cup on September 20th. They will then play Scotland, Japan, and Samoa in their remaining pool matches.