He was a part of the Romanian team at the 2003 Rugby World Cup, playing two matches throughout the tournament held in Australia.
On 14 March 2008 Bălan signed for Northampton Saints in the Guinness Premiership. He was expected to join the club for the 2008–09 season, but back problems led to his contract being voided. After finishing the season with Biarritz, Bălan was idle until he signed a two-year contract with Fédérale 1 club Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
FC Dinamo București, commonly known as Dinamo București or simply Dinamo, is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest that competes in the Liga I.
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque, usually known simply as Biarritz, is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine which competes in the Pro D2, the second division of French rugby. Biarritz plays its home matches at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra, which is a multi-use stadium in Biarritz and which has a capacity of around 13,500 people, though for games that need a larger capacity, Biarritz may play at the Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián. Biarritz play in red and white colours. Biarritz won a number of major honors, including the French championship on five occasions.
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze department.
FC Sportul Studențesc, commonly referred to as Sportul, was a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest, that last played at senior level in the Liga IV. Founded in 1916, Sportul Studențesc was one of the oldest Romanian clubs still active.
Rugby union in France is a popular team sport. Rugby union was first introduced in the early 1870s by British residents, which makes the country one of the few early exponents of the sport. Elite French clubs participate in the professional domestic club league, the Top 14. Clubs also compete in the European knock-out competition, the European Rugby Champions Cup, which replaced the Heineken Cup from 2014 to 2015.
Thierry Dusautoir is a French former rugby union player who last played for France at international level and Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition. He was called the "Dark Destroyer" during his career. Dusautoir was considered a strong ball carrier and possessed incredibly powerful and effective tackling. He was considered the best tackler in the world during his career.
Rugby union is a moderately popular team sport played in Romania with a tradition of more than 100 years. In past eras, the game had been more popular and Romanian national teams had been relatively highly ranked in world rugby, but their standing declined since the dawn of professionalism and the end of communism. The Romanian men's national team are currently 20th in the World Rugby Rankings as of 19 March 2023.
The Liga Națională de Rugby is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in Romania. In the 2023 season there are 14 teams competing. The competition was established in 1913 and is governed by the Romanian Rugby Federation. Steaua București is the most successful club in the competition with 24 titles.
Ovidiu Tonița is a Romanian former rugby union player who played 73 times for the Romania national team between 2000 and 2016. A former lock and presently a flanker and number 8. He played the majority of his career for USA Perpignan. He is noted for his size, which is considered unusual for his position on the field. His supporters are known to have compared him to the Australian footballer John Eales, and he is often seen as Romania's key player.
Takudzwa Ngwenya is a former rugby union player who played on the wing for the United States national rugby union team and Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14. He made his mark in the 2007 Rugby World Cup with tries against South Africa and Samoa.
Valentin Nicolae Calafeteanu is a Romanian rugby union player. His position on the field is scrum-half.
Football is the most popular sport in Romania. The Romanian Football Federation, a member of UEFA, is the sport's national governing body.
CS Dinamo București is a professional Romanian rugby union club from Bucharest, which plays in the Liga Națională de Rugby, the first division of Romanian rugby. They are the second most successful rugby union team in Romania with 16 championship titles, 13 cup titles and even a Champions League title to their name. After a pause of 15 years, Dinamo won the 2023 Liga Națională de Rugby season, denying rival CSM Știința Baia Mare a 5th historic consecutive title.
CSA Steaua București is a professional Romanian rugby union club from Ghencea, south-west Bucharest, which plays in the Liga Națională de Rugby, the first division of Romanian rugby. They are the most successful rugby union team in the Romania with 24 championship titles and 15 cup titles to their name. Steaua București`s annual operating budget is approximately 1,925,000 Euros.
The 2010 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2009–10 Heineken Cup, the 15th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 22 May 2010 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis north of Paris. It was contested by Biarritz and Toulouse, both from France. Toulouse won the final by 21–19, and for a record fourth time in fifteen seasons of the competition.
SCM Rugby Timișoara is a professional Romanian rugby union club from Timișoara, which plays in the Liga Națională de Rugby, the first division of Romanian rugby. The team first won the championship in 1972, becoming the first club outside Bucharest to achieve this performance. In the modern format of the SuperLiga, SCM Rugby Timișoara won 4 titles in 6 seasons. The team is colloquially known as "Universitatea" Timișoara as it has historical ties with the University of Timișoara. In 2014 the club became a partner of London-based Saracens rugby club. In 2020, the club's partnership with London-based Saracens rugby club ended making them change their identity to SCM Rugby Timișoara. SCM Rugby Timisoara`s annual operating budget for the 2023-24 season is approximately 1,910,000 Euros.
Rugby Club Județean Farul Constanța was a semi-professional Romanian rugby union club from Constanța, which played continuously from 1970 until 2014 in the CEC Bank SuperLiga, the first division of Romanian rugby. The team withdrew from the Romanian top-tier competition before the 2015 edition and ultimately disbanded.
Dinamo București is a Romanian association football club based in Bucharest. The club was founded in 1948 and spent almost its entire history in Liga I, the top league of Romanian football
Minaur Baia Mare, known also as Minerul Baia Mare, is a Romanian football club, based in Baia Mare, Maramureș County, northern Romania, founded in 1947. It currently plays in Romania's third division, Liga III. It played for seven seasons in Romania's first league, Liga I, last in 1995.
Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua București, commonly known as Steaua București, or simply as Steaua, is a Romanian professional football club based in Bucharest. It is one of the sporting sections of the namesake CSA Steaua București and competes in the Liga II.
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