Romania played in the first eight editions of the Rugby World Cup including the inaugural tournament in 1987. They originally qualified for the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup to be played in 2019. In 2018, after it was discovered that Romania were one of three countries guilty of fielding ineligible players in multiple qualifiers, they received a points deduction. The points deduction meant Romania did not qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
| Nation | Number of appearances | First appearance | Most recent appearance | Streak | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Romania | 9 | 1987 | 2023 | 8 | One win, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 |
| World Cup record | World Cup Qualification record | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | P | W | D | L | F | A | P | W | D | L | F | A | |
  1987 | Pool stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 130 | - | ||||||
   1991 | Pool stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 64 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 42 | |
 1995 | Pool stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 97 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 105 | 46 | |
 1999 | Pool stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 126 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 300 | 127 | |
| 2003 | Pool stage | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 192 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 84 | 31 | |
| 2007 | Pool stage | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 161 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 452 | 122 | |
| 2011 | Pool stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 169 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 376 | 142 | |
 2015 | Pool stage | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 129 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 242 | 106 | |
 2019 | Expelled after qualification | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 296 | 106 | |||||||
| 2023 | Pool stage | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 287 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 289 | 232 | |
| Total | 9/10 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 397 | 1,355 | 67 | 47 | 2 | 18 | 2,229 | 954 | |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 France | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 44 | +101 | 25 | 5 [lower-alpha 1] | Knockout stage |
 Scotland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 135 | 69 | +66 | 22 | 5 [lower-alpha 1] | |
 Romania | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 61 | 130 | −69 | 6 | 2 | |
 Zimbabwe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 151 | −98 | 5 | 0 |
| 23 May 1987 |
| Romania | 21–20 | Zimbabwe |
| Try: Paraschiv Toader Hodorcă Pen: Alexandru (3) | Try: Tsimba (2) Neill Con: Ferreira Pen: Ferreira (2) |
| Eden Park, Auckland Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland) |
| 28 May 1987 |
| France | 55–12 | Romania |
| Try: Lagisquet (2) Charvet (2) Sella Andrieu Camberabero Erbani Laporte Con: Laporte (8) Pen: Laporte | Pen: Bezuscu (4) |
| Athletic Park, Wellington Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Bob Fordham (Australia) |
| 2 June 1987 |
| Romania | 28–55 | Scotland |
| Try: Murariu (2) Toader Con: Alexandru Ion Pen: Alexandru (3) Ion | Try: Jeffrey (3) Tait (2) Hastings (2) Duncan Tukalo Con: Hastings (8) Pen: Hastings |
| Carisbrook, Dunedin Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Stephen Hilditch (Ireland) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 25 | +57 | 6 |
 Canada | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 45 | 33 | +12 | 4 |
| Romania | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 64 | −33 | 2 |
 Fiji | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 63 | −36 | 0 |
| 4 October 1991 |
| France | 30–3 | Romania |
| Try: Roumat Lafond Penalty try Saint-André Con: Camberabero Pen: Camberabero (4) | Pen: Nichitean |
| Stade de la Méditerranée, Béziers Referee: Les Peard (Wales) |
| 9 October 1991 |
| Canada | 19–11 | Romania |
| Try: McKinnon Ennis Con: Mark Wyatt Pen: Wyatt (2) Drop: Rees | Try: Lungu Sasu Pen: Nichitean |
| Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse Referee: Sandy MacNeill (Australia) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 26 | +42 | 9 |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 87 | 41 | +46 | 7 |
| Canada | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 5 |
| Romania | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 97 | −83 | 3 |
| 26 May 1995 |
| Canada | 34–3 | Romania |
| Try: Charron McKenzie Snow Con: Rees (2) Pen: Rees (4) | Pen: Neculai Nichitean |
| Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Colin Hawke (New Zealand) |
| 30 May 1995 |
| South Africa | 21–8 | Romania |
| Try: Adriaan Richter (2) Con: Gavin Johnson Pen: Gavin Johnson (3) | Try: Andrei Gurănescu Pen: Ilie Ivanciuc |
| Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Ken McCartney (Scotland) |
| 3 June 1995 |
| Australia | 42–3 | Romania |
| Try: Smith Wilson Roff Foley Burke Con: Matt Burke (2) John Eales (4) | Pen: Ilie Ivanciuc |
| Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Naoki Saito (Japan) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 135 | 31 | +104 | 9 |
| Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 100 | 45 | +55 | 7 |
| Romania | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 126 | −76 | 5 |
 United States | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 135 | −83 | 3 |
| 3 October 1999 |
| Australia | 57–9 | Romania |
| Try: Kefu (3) Roff (2) Kafer Burke Little Horan Con: Burke (5) Eales | Pen: Mitu (3) |
| Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand) |
| 9 October 1999 |
| United States | 25–27 | Romania |
| Try: Shuman Hightower Lyle Con: Dalzell (2) Pen: Dalzell (2) | Try: Petrache Solomie Constantin Con: Mitu (2) Pen: Mitu |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Jim Fleming (Scotland) |
| 15 October 1999 |
| Ireland | 44–14 | Romania |
| Try: O'Shea (2) Ward Tierney O'Cuinneagain Con: Elwood (5) Pen: Elwood (2) Drop: O'Driscoll | Try: Săuan Pen: Mitu (3) |
| Lansdowne Road, Dublin Referee: Brian Campsell (England) |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 273 | 32 | +241 | 2 | 18 | Quarter-finals |
| Ireland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 141 | 56 | +85 | 3 | 15 | |
 Argentina | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 140 | 57 | +83 | 3 | 11 | |
| Romania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 65 | 192 | −127 | 1 | 5 | |
 Namibia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 28 | 310 | −282 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 October 2003 |
| Ireland | 45–17 | Romania |
| Try: S. Horgan Wood Hickie (2) Costello Con: Humphreys (3) O'Gara Pen: Humphreys (4) | Try: Penalty try Maftei Con: Tofan Vioreanu Pen: Tofan |
| Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, Gosford Attendance: 19,123 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) |
| 18 October 2003 |
| Australia | 90–8 | Romania |
| Try: Flatley Rogers (3) Burke (2) Larkham (2) Mortlock Roff Giteau Tuqiri Smith Con: Flatley (11) Pen: Flatley | Try: Toderașc Pen: Tofan |
| Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 48,778 Referee: Pablo De Luca (Argentina) |
| 22 October 2003 |
| Argentina | 50–3 | Romania |
| Try: Gaitán Hernández (2) M. Contepomi N. Fernández Miranda Bouza (2) Con: J. Fernández Miranda (4) Quesada (2) Pen: J. Fernández Miranda | Pen: Tofan |
| Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 33,673 Referee: Chris White (England) |
| 30 October 2003 |
| Namibia | 7–37 | Romania |
| Try: Isaacs Con: Wessels | Try: Petrechei Sîrbu Chiriac Teodorescu Săuan Con: Tofan (3) Pen: Tofan (2) |
| Aurora Stadium, Launceston Attendance: 15,457 Referee: Peter Marshall (Australia) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Zealand | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 309 | 35 | +274 | 4 | 20 | Qualified for the quarter-finals |
| 2 | Scotland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 116 | 66 | +50 | 2 | 14 | |
| 3 |  Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 85 | 117 | −32 | 1 | 9 | Eliminated, automatic qualification for RWC 2011 |
| 4 | Romania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 161 | −121 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 |  Portugal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 209 | −171 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 September 2007 20:00 |
| Italy | 24–18 | Romania |
| Try: Dellapè 6' m Penalty try 55' c Con: Pez (1/1) Pen: Bortolussi (1/2) 14' Ramiro Pez (3/3) 62', 66', 72' | Report | Try: Manta 43' m Țincu 47' c Con: Dimofte (1/1) Pen: Dimofte (2/2) 70', 74' |
| Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 44,241 Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England) |
| 18 September 2007 21:00 |
| Scotland | 42–0 | Romania |
| Try: Paterson 2' c Hogg (3) 17' c, 46' c, 53' c R. Lamont (2) 36' c, 72' c Con: Paterson (6/6) | Report |
| Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Attendance: 31,222 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
| 25 September 2007 20:00 |
| Romania | 14–10 | Portugal |
| Try: Țincu 63' c Corodeanu 72' c Con: Calafeteanu (1/1) Dumbravă (1/1) | Report | Try: Ferreira 18' c Con: D. Pinto (1/1) Pen: Malheiro (1/1) 69' |
| Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 35,526 Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand) |
| 29 September 2007 13:00 |
| New Zealand | 85–8 | Romania |
| Try: Sivivatu (2) 1' m, 24' c Masoe 10' c Rokocoko (3) 15' c, 58' c, 66' c Evans 18' m Mauger 37' m Toeava (2) 47' c, 80+' c Hore 64' c Smith 75' c Howlett 79' c Con: McAlister (4/7) Evans (6/6) | Report | Try: Țincu 31' m Pen: Vlaicu 72' |
| Stadium de Toulouse, Toulouse Attendance: 35,608 Referee: Joël Jutge (France) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 137 | 34 | +103 | 18 | 2 | 18 | Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | Argentina | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 90 | 40 | +50 | 10 | 2 | 14 | |
| 3 | Scotland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 73 | 59 | +14 | 4 | 3 | 11 | Eliminated but qualified for 2015 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 |  Georgia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 90 | −42 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 | Romania | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 169 | −125 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 September 2011 | Scotland | 34–24 | Romania | Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill |
| 17 September 2011 | Argentina | 43–8 | Romania | Rugby Park Stadium, Invercargill |
| 24 September 2011 | England | 67–3 | Romania | Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin |
| 28 September 2011 | Georgia | 25–9 | Romania | Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 35 | +99 | 16 | 2 | 18 | Advanced to the quarter-finals and qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | France | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 120 | 63 | +57 | 12 | 2 | 14 | |
| 3 | Italy | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 88 | −14 | 7 | 2 | 10 | Eliminated but qualified for 2019 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 | Romania | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 60 | 129 | −69 | 7 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 | Canada | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 58 | 131 | −73 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| 23 September 2015 | France | 38–11 | Romania | Olympic Stadium, London |
| 27 September 2015 | Ireland | 44–10 | Romania | Wembley Stadium, London |
| 6 October 2015 | Canada | 15–17 | Romania | Leicester City Stadium, Leicester |
| 11 October 2015 | Italy | 32–22 | Romania | Sandy Park, Exeter |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ireland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 190 | 46 | +144 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 19 | Advance to knockout stage, and qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 151 | 34 | +117 | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 | Scotland | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 146 | 71 | +75 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 10 | Qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup |
| 4 |  Tonga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 177 | −81 | 13 | 25 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Romania | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 287 | −255 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 September 2023 15:30 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) Ireland | 82–8 | Romania |
| Try: Gibson-Park 5' c Keenan 13' c Beirne (2) 17' m, 80+3' c Aki (2) 34' c, 75' c Sexton (2) 40' c, 62' c Herring 45' c O'Mahony (2) 50' c, 70' c McCarthy 67' c Con: Sexton (7/8) 6', 13', 36', 40', 46', 51', 63' Crowley (4/4) 68', 72', 76', 80+3' | Report | Try: Rupanu 3' m Pen: Rupanu (1/1) 21' |
| Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Attendance: 41,170 Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) [1] |
| 17 September 2023 15:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) South Africa | 76–0 | Romania |
| Try: Reinach (3) 2' m, 8' c, 23' c Mapimpi (3) 6' c, 63' m, 67' c Willemse 11' c Fourie 42' m Penalty try 52' Williams (2) 54' c, 61' c Le Roux 73' m Con: Willemse (5/7) 7', 9', 11', 24', 55' De Klerk (2/4) 62', 68' | Report |
| Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Attendance: 38,789 Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France) [1] |
| 30 September 2023 21:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) Scotland | 84–0 | Romania |
| Try: Watson 9' c Price 17' c Graham (4) 21' c, 34' c, 40' c, 77' c Fagerson 38' c Harris 45' c Smith 53' c Healy 58' c Matthews 71' c Darge 73' c Con: Healy (11/11) 10', 18', 22', 35', 39', 40', 47', 55', 59', 72', 77' Horne (1/1) 73' | Report |
| Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 46,516 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England) [1] |
| 8 October 2023 17:45 CEST (UTC+2) |
| (1 BP) Tonga | 45–24 | Romania |
| Try: Kata (2) 11' c, 66' m Moala 15' c Taumoepeau 22' c Vailanu 49' c Ahki 62' c Taumoefolau 71' m Con: Havili (5/7) 13', 17', 23', 51', 63' | Report | Try: Boboc 30' c Surugiu 36' c Simionescu 55' c Con: Conache (3/3) 32', 37', 57' Pen: Conache (1/2) 19' |
| Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq Attendance: 45,042 Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) [1] |
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The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France: at the time, the five European countries who participated in the Five Nations Championship. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the northern hemisphere, with England the hosts of the final. Also for the first time, qualifying competitions were introduced as the number of entrants had increased from 16 nations four years before to a total of 33 countries. The eight quarter-finalists from 1987 qualified automatically with the remaining eight spots contested through qualifiers by 25 countries. This resulted in only one new side qualifying for the tournament, Western Samoa replacing Tonga. The same 16-team pool/knock-out format was used with just minor changes to the points system. South Africa was again not included because of sanctions imposed on the country by the IRB, due to the government's apartheid policies.
The Romania national rugby union team represents Romania in men's international rugby union competitions. Nicknamed Stejarii, the team is long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations. They have participated in all but one Rugby World Cup and currently compete in the first division of the European Nations Cup, which they won in 2017. Rugby union in Romania is administered by the Romanian Rugby Federation.
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