Romanian Wolves

The Romanian Wolves (Romanian: Lupii Români) is a professional Romanian rugby union team that competes annually in the Rugby Europe Super Cup.

Romanian Wolves

Full name	Romanian Wolves
Nickname(s)	Lupii (The Wolves)
Founded	June 9, 2004; 20 years ago (2004-06-09) as Selecționata București
Location	Romania
Ground(s)	Arena Zimbrilor (Capacity: 2,300)
Coach(es)	Eugen Apjok
Captain(s)	Nicolaas Immelman
Most appearances	Florin Vlaicu (57)
Top scorer	Florin Vlaicu (314)
Most tries	Cătălin Fercu (8)
League(s)	Rugby Europe Super Cup
2022	Joint 5th
1st kit 2nd kit

History

2004-2008: Initial stages - Test Team for the National Squad

At the end of the 2003-2004 season, both champions Dinamo Bucharest and runners-up Steaua Bucharest declined the opportunity to take part in European competitions next season, mainly for financial reasons.^[1] With this in mind, the Romanian Rugby Federation decided to patch things up and create a new representative team based in Bucharest named "Selecționata București" (which could be translated as "Bucharest Representative Team") or simply "București" (translated as "Bucharest") in order to be more competitive on the international stage. Essentially, the idea was to create a team that would bring together the most valuable rugby players from the domestic championship and test them, give them a chance to prove they could be part of the senior national rugby team,^[2] as well as providing some international experience for the up and coming local players. For this reason, the team was also known as "Romania A", a label that was fairly used in the Romanian sports media during the early years of the team's existence.^[3] The 2004-2005 season marked the Bucharest Representative Team's debut in Europe, albeit not in the European Challenge Cup, which they were eligible for after Dinamo Bucharest withdrew, but rather in the European Shield.^[4] They played Leonessa Rugby from Italy in the opening round. On December 5, 2004, the Bucharest Representative Team played their debut match at the Steaua stadium in Ghencea and emerged victorious with a score of 18-15.^[5] Even with Valentin Ursache's red card elimination, the Romanians managed to achieve victory with points scored by Ion Teodorescu's try, Iulian Andrei's two penalties, and a transformation from a penalty try granted at the beginning of the second half. However, in the return match, Romania A lost with a score of 32-21,^[6] resulting in their failure to qualify for the next round. Despite Lacatus and Teodorescu's two attempts, the team paid tribute to indiscipline, yellow cards being given to Alexandru Lacatus, Cornel Tatu, and Florin Poenaru.

From the 2005-06 season onwards, the Bucharest Representative Team took part in the Amlin Challenge Cup. In this particular edition, the Romanian side was placed in a group alongside Gloucester, Bayonne, and Toulon. Despite facing five defeats, they experienced a notable triumph at Stade Félix Mayol against Toulon, securing a 23-17 victory.^[7] Players like Fercu, Ratiu, and Fercu once again, successfully scored three tries, with the last one being the decisive moment just three minutes before the game concluded.

In the 2006-07 season, the Romanians had a commendable performance in their group matches against Newport Dragons, Bristol, and Bayonne. They achieved a notable victory against Bayonne in Bucharest with a final score of 32-27,^[8] despite being behind 12-17 at halftime. Catalin Dascalu, Costica Mersoiu, and Catalin Fercu each scored a try, with Fercu's last one proving to be decisive. However, they faced defeats against Newport with scores of 29-39 ^[9] and 10-66,^[10] and against Bristol with scores of 3-27 ^[11] and 19-33.^[12] In the match against Bayonne, the Bucharest Representative Team fought hard but ultimately conceded with a score of 38-31,^[13] although Fercu managed to score three tries.

During the 2007-2008 season, Selectionata Bucuresti had their most successful participation on record. They achieved two victories and a draw in a group that included Worcester, Gran Parma, and Montauban. In Italy, they had a thrilling 23-23 draw ^[14] against Gran Parma, with Stelian Burcea, Costica Mersoiu, and Vasile Rus scoring successful attempts. In the rematch, they narrowly won 21-20,^[15] with Gheorghita Bigiu and Ionut Dimofte each managing a try, and Florin Vlaicu contributing a conversion and three penalty kicks. Their second victory came against the French team Montauban, with a final score of 19-17.^[16] Dimofte scored a try, which was converted by Vlaicu, who also added points from four penalty kicks. It is worth noting that the Romanian international Bogdan Balan played for the opposing team.

2008-2011: Taking on a familiar image - Adopting the oak leaf

Starting from the 2008-2009 season, the Bucharest Representative Team underwent a transformation and became known as the Bucharest Oaks.^[17] Competing alongside Bourgoin, Worcester, and Petrarca Padova, their performance was rather lackluster, with only one victory achieved during an away match against Padova. During the home game, we unfortunately succumbed to the Italians with a score of 14-20,^[18] as they managed to secure one try and Ludovic Mercier successfully converted five penalties. However, in a thrilling match held in Italy, Florin Vlaicu emerged as the hero by securing the winning points through a penalty kick in the 74th minute, leading the Oaks to a triumphant 17-15 victory.^[19]

In the 2009-10 edition, Bucharest Oaks secured just one victory. They emerged triumphant against Overmach Parma with a score of 21-9.^[20] The points were scored by Csaba Gal and Cosmin Ratiu through tries, Florin Vlaicu with a conversion and two penalties, and Ionut Dimofte with a drop goal. The Oaks also put up a commendable performance against the French team Bourgoin, narrowly losing with a score of 19-21 at the end of the game,^[21] after being tied 13-13 at halftime. A similar scenario unfolded in their match against Leeds at home, where they were leading 6-3 until the 70th minute but eventually lost with a score of 6-10.^[22] However, they experienced losses against Bourgoin resulting in a score of 15-33,^[23] Parma resulting in a score of 9-16 ^[24] and a significant defeat against Leeds with a score 0-47.^[25]

During the 2010–11 season, they once again achieved the single victory feat in the pool stage of the Amlin Challenge Cup and also showcased an impressive performance at home against the esteemed French team, Stade Francais. Bucharest Oaks secured a narrow 20-19 win ^[26] versus Crociati, with a try scored by Catalin Nicolae and five penalties successfully executed by Danut Dumbrava. Despite scoring two tries through Madalin Lemnaru and Stelian Burcea in the match against Stade Francais, they ultimately had to accept defeat with a score of 20-29.^[27] Stade Francais boasted a formidable lineup including renowned players like Hugo Bonneval, Pascal Papé, Sergio Parisse, Julien Dupuy, and Mathieu Bastareaud.

2011-2015: A renewed start - Wolves replaces Oaks as the new identity

In the summer of 2011, the Romanian Rugby Federation announced that they've decided to change the team's name from Bucharest Oaks to Bucharest Wolves in order to avoid confusion with the Romanian national team,^[28] also referred as "The Oaks." In the 2011-2012 edition of the Amlin Challenge Cup, the Bucharest Wolves were placed in a group with Stade Francais, Worcester, and Crociati and managed to secure two victories against the Italians. At the Arcul de Triumf stadium, they won 34-7 ^[29] and obtained the offensive bonus thanks to Adrian Apostol's hat-trick and Florin Vlaicu's four successful conversions and two penalty kicks. In the return game, they replicated the same performance with a 26-13 victory,^[30] this time with Apostol, Flavius Dobre, and Florin Surugiu's double ensuring the offensive bonus. It's worth noting their impressive performance against Worcester in Bucharest, where they led 13-12 until the last quarter of the game, but unfortunately conceded two attempts and lost 13-24.^[31]

In the 2012-2013 edition of the Amlin Challenge Cup, the Bucharest Wolves were placed in a group alongside Bath, Agen, and Calvisano. Throughout the tournament, they were able to secure 2 wins out of 6 matches. One notable triumph was their victory against the French team Agen, which took place in Bucharest on December 8, 2012. This thrilling game was filled with intense moments, and it was ultimately decided by Florin Vlaicu's remarkable penalty kick from 45 meters on the left side, resulting in a final score of 25-22.^[32]

Period	Name
2004–2008	Bucharest Representative Team
2008–2011	Bucharest Oaks
2011–2015	Bucharest Wolves
2022–	Romanian Wolves

Current squad

Romanian Wolves Rugby Europe Super Cup squad
Props Vasile Balan Mihai Dico Revazi Dugladze Silviu Grădinaru Costel Grămadă Robert Hîncu Cosmin Olteanu Alexandru Savin Ciprian Sălceanu James Scott Dorin Tică Sandro Zubashvili Hookers Florin Bărdașu Tudor Butnariu George Ilincuța Robert Irimescu Levan Papidze Tristan Trollip Locks Mate Dardzulidze Marius Dănilă Ionuț Donici Ștefan Iancu	Back row Alexandru Alexe Beka Bitsadze Nugzar Gelashvili Nicolaas Immelman (c) Florian Roșu Andrei Schutz Ionuț Tudor Scrum-halves Vlăduț Bocăneț Cristian Nedelcu Alexandru Țiglă Fly-halves Andrei Bucșa Alexandru Harasim Mihai Mureșan Nikau Murray Luca Nichitean	Centres Abele Atunasia Anelka Barends Sione Fakaʻosilea Taliaʻuli Sikuea Jason Tomane Wings Adrian Apostol Mihai Lămboiu Kefentse Mahlo Darin Onț Fullbacks Ioan Nichitean Paul Popoaia
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Romania on residency or dual nationality.

Current coaching staff

The current coaching staff of the Romanian Wolves:

Name	Nationality	Role
Mihai Matei	ROU	Manager
Eugen Apjok	ROU	Head coach
Paul Rusu	ROU	Assistant coach
Ionuț Pop	ROU	Strength & conditioning coach
Vlad Ilie	ROU	Team doctor
Dan Wanya-Crîngu	ROU	Team doctor
Codrin Despea	ROU	Physiotherapist

Results and statistics

European Shield

Year	Played	Won	Drawn	Loss	For	Against
2004–05	2	1	0	1	39	47

European Challenge Cup / European Rugby Challenge Cup

Year	Pool	Pos	Played	Won	Drawn	Loss	Bonus	Pts
2005–06	3	3rd	6	1	0	5	1	5
2006–07	1	3rd	6	1	0	5	4	8
2007–08	2	3rd	6	2	1	3	0	10
2008–09	3	4th	6	1	0	5	1	5
2009–10	1	3rd	6	1	0	5	3	7
2010–11	4	3rd	6	1	0	5	1	5
2011–12	1	3rd	6	2	0	4	2	10
2012–13	4	3rd	6	2	0	4	1	9
2013–14	3	3rd	6	2	0	4	2	10
2014–15	3	4th	6	0	0	6	1	1

Rugby Europe Super Cup

Year	Conference	Played	Won	Drawn	Loss	Bonus	Pts
2022	East	2	1	0	1	1	5

Badge

• 
  2008-2011 logo
• 
  2011-2015 logo

See also

• Category:București Wolves players
• Romania national rugby union team
• Rugby union in Romania

References

1. S-a decis: nici Dinamo si nici Steaua nu merg in Cupele Europene Archived October 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
2. Participarile Selectionatei Bucurestiului in Amlin Challenge Cup Archived October 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
3. “Am avut ocazia sa inscriem acele 3 puncte care ne puteau califica”, spune Virgil Nastase, antrenorul Romaniei A Archived November 7, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.This is an example of an online article where the label "Romania A" was used
4. S-a decis: nici Dinamo si nici Steaua nu merg in Cupele Europene Archived October 29, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.The primary objective was to secure more time for the team's preparation and cohesion. This was primarily because the European Shield commenced in December–January, whereas the Challenge Cup had an earlier start in October. Moreover, it served as an opportunity to assess and prepare players who could potentially strengthen the national team for the ongoing European Nations Cup.
5. Romania A - Leonessa 18-15 Archived November 12, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
6. Leonessa - Romania A 32-21 Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
7. Selectionata Bucurestiului a invins la Toulon cu 23-17! Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
8. Selectionata Bucurestiului a castigat cu 32-17 (12-17) in meciul cu Bayonne Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
9. Bucuresti - Newport 29-39 (10-24) Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
10. Newport - Selectionata Bucurestiului 66-10 - Scor final Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
11. Selectionata Bucurestiului - Bristol 3-27 : I-am dominat pe englezi cu inaintarea Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
12. Bristol - Bucuresti - 33-19 - Scor final Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
13. Bayonne – Bucuresti 38-31 scor final. Bucurestiul a luat 2 puncte bonus! Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
14. Meciul de sambata, Parma – Bucuresti 23-23, al doilea egal in cupele europene pentru romani Archived November 13, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
15. Bucuresti a invins Parma in Challenge Cup cu 21-20, dupa 14-3 la pauza Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
16. Superba victorie a Bucurestiului: 19-17 cu Montauban, echipa de pe locul 5 din Franta! Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
17. Stejarii Bucuresti joaca acasa primele 3 meciuri din Challenge Cup Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
18. Stejarii Bucuresti au pierdut cu Petrarca Padova: 14-20 Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
19. Stejarii Bucuresti au castigat la Padova: 17-15 cu Petrarca, in etapa a IV-a a Challenge Cup Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
20. Stejarii Bucuresti au invins Parma in Chalenge Cup: 21-9 Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
21. Stejarii Bucuresti au ratat victoria in ultima secunda in fata lui Bourgoin: 19-21 Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
22. Stejarii Bucuresti au ratat sansa de a fi pe locul 1 in grupa din Challenge Cup: 6-10 cu Leeds Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
23. Stejarii Bucuresti, a 4-a infrangere in Challenge Cup: 15-33 cu Bourgoin Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
24. Stejarii au pierdut si ultimul meci din Challenge Cup: 9-16 in deplasare la Parma Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
25. Stejarii au pierdut fara sa marcheze macar un punct la Leeds: 0-47 Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
26. Cu eseu in ultimul minut: Stejarii au invins Crociati, 20-19 Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
27. Stejarii Bucuresti - Stade Francais 20-29. Am pierdut bonusul defensiv in ultima secunda Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
28. Bucharest Wolves va reprezenta Romania in AMLIN Challenge Cup Archived November 14, 2023, at the Wayback Machine.
29. A www.ercrugby.com match report titled: Wolves start with bonus-point win Archived November 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
30. A www.ercrugby.com match report titled: Wolves end on a high Archived January 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
31. Bucharest Wolves - Worcester Warriors 13-24.
32. Bucharest Wolves - Agen 25-22.