| Full name | Robert Irimescu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1 March 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | New York City, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 105 kg (231 lb; 16 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Xavier High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Pennsylvania State University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rob Irimescu (born 1 March 1996) is an American-born rugby union player who plays for CSM Știința Baia Mare in the Liga Națională de Rugby and the Romanian national team.
After playing for five years at Pennsylvania State University, [1] upon his graduation Irimescu would sign for Rugby New York, after spending time with amateur side New York Athletic Club. [2]
He joined his hometown side at the end of 2019, [3] he went on to make his debut for the Major League Rugby side in the first round of the 2020 season, coming off the bench against the New England Freejacks. [4]
Signing for rival side Old Glory DC in 2022, he went on to feature in all 16 of Old Glory's matches, being named in the Starting XV for 11 of them. [5] [6] He signed for CSM Știința Baia Mare to help his international ambitions.
He joined CSM Știința Baia Mare in 2023 making his debut against CSA Steaua București. [7] [8]
His first appearance was for Romania A against Italy A in 2023, before going on to make his debut for the national side against Poland in the 2023 Rugby Europe Championship, coming off the bench to score a try. He played in the following 2 Rugby Europe Matches against Belgium and Portugal, coming off the bench in his alternate position, as a flanker in both.
He was named in the Romanian squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup warmups. He eventually came off the bench against Georgia.
He went on to be named in the final 33-Man Roster, playing in the 2023 Rugby World Cup. On September 17th, he came off the bench against South Africa, making his World Cup Debut. A few weeks later he cracked the first XV for the first time against Scotland, and closed out his World Cup Campaign by coming off the bench against Tonga.
In 2024, he continued his campaign for the Oaks, by being selected in the 2024 REC Squad, where he featured in 3 matches. He went on to earn his 10th cap, in his final match against Spain.
In the summer of 2024, he was selected to play against the United States and Canada. He played in both games, coming off the bench. Irimescu went on to defeat his home nation in Chicago, winning the Pershing Cup, 22-20 on July 5th, 2024.
Born in New York to two Romanian parents, Nicoleta and Gabriel Irimescu, who both come from Constanța. [9] His father grew up playing rugby in Constanta. He frequently visited Constanta every summer. Although he lived in the United States his whole life, he moved to Romania in January 2023 to help his international ambitions. [10]
He graduated from Penn State with a Master’s Degree in Accounting, a Bachelor’s in Finance, and a Bachelor’s in Accounting.
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CSM Constanța is a rugby union team based in Constanța, Romania. It was funded in 2021 and is set to debut in the 2023 season of the top Romanian competition, Liga Națională de Rugby. The team succeeds RCJ Farul Constanța, one of the most successful Romanian rugby union teams, and is currently managed by Constantin Gheară.
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