Timișoara Saracens

RCM Timişoara

Full name

Rugby Club Municipal Universitatea Timişoara

Founded

1949

Location

Timişoara, Romania

Ground(s)

Stadionul Electromotor (Capacity: 1,000)
Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu (Capacity: 32,972)

President

Alexandru Ilie

Coach(es)

Chester Williams

Danie de Villiers

League(s)

Divizia Naţională

2014

3rd

Team kit

Rugby Club Municipal Timişoara is a Romanian semi-professional rugby union club from Timişoara, who plays in the Romanian Rugby Championship, the first division of Romanian rugby. The team was Champion in 1972, being the first club outside Bucharest to even achieve this performance. The team is colloquially known as "Universitatea" Timişoara as it has historical ties with the University of Timişoara. Starting 2012, RCM Timisoara's coach is former Springbok Chester Williams.
Since 2014 the club is a partner of London-based Saracens rugby club.

History

On October 1949, CSUT (Club Sportiv Universitar Timişoara) played its first match in the city of Sighişoara against the local team, match that was won by CSUT with 34-0, the team from Timişoara having the following line-up: Liteanu, Antonescu, Popa, Nistor, Haller, Onciul, Zomborian, Georgescu (player-coach), Dăncescu, Gurti, Kalincov, Barla, Baruch, Balios, Melinte.

Name change and first National title

Starting with the year 1966 the team changes its name from CSUT to Universitatea Timişoara; Mitică Antonescu was in charge of the team at that point. The year 1966 in the start of the ascension for the team from Timişoara. In the 1968-1969 championship the team occupies 5th place, in the 1969-1970 championship the 3ed place, in the 1970-1971 championship the 5th place and in the 1971-1972 championship, Universitatea Timişoara – after 58 years of supremacy from the teams from Bucharest – manages to bring the national title to Timişoara.

It is said that on the 12th of June 1972 (the day the team won the national title) the bells of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Timişoara rang one time more than usual, and on the second day at the gate of the boarding house where the majority of the rugby players of Universitatea Timişoara were living, on a board the following could be read:: “Trecătorule, oprește-te un moment și înclină-te în fața ușii caminului unde trăiesc perlele rugby-ului românesc (translation: Passer-by, stop for a moment and kneel in front of the door of the boarding house where the pearls of Romanian rugby are living)”, the author of it being, at that time student, Nicolae Benga. Here are the artisans of this beautiful achievement: Duţă, Szasz, Cândrea, Peter, Suciu, Gheţu, Iacob, Ceauş, Tătucu, Nedelcu, Vollman, Rășcanu, Priess, Ionică, Ene, Malancu, Neiss, Popovici, Vlad, Ioniţă, Arsene.

Since that time, Timişoara was always places among the runners-up of the national standings, promoting student rugby.

New Coach

Starting the 23rd of January 2012, the team got a new coach in the image of none other than the famous South African ex-rugby player, Chester Williams. Williams, who was nicknamed "The Black Pearl" back in his active years as a player, was the only non-white player who won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. This is his second attempt into the world of Romanian rugby, his first being as the technical director for the rugby team of Dinamo Bucureşti. He was close to taking over the bench of Timişoara in the summer of 2011, but negotiations were put to a hold because of the World Cup that was taking place in New Zealand.

3rd place in Superliga (2011)

After losing 22-24 to CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare in the semifinals of the Romanian Rugby Championship, the team from Timişoara won the match for 3rd place against Farul Constanţa (15-11). Valentin Calafeteanu was the MVP of the game.

Romanian Cup (2011)

RCM Timişoara won the Romanian Cup, after a 32-10 victory against CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare. The match took place in the city of Alba Iulia, on Cetate Stadium.

Achievements

Divizia Naţională:
- Winners (3): 1972, 2012, 2013
- Runner-up (1): 1973
- Third Place (7): 1974, 1975, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2011, 2014

Romanian Cup:
- Winners (2): 2011, 2014
- Runner-up (2): 1978, 1980

Energy Cup (Central and Eastern European Rugby Cup):
- Winners (1): 2009
- Runner-up (2): 2010, 2011

Current squad

2015

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player	Position	Union
Eugen Căpăţână	Hooker	Romania
Bogdan Neacsu	Hooker	Romania
Marian Gorcioaia	Hooker	Romania
Samuel Cira	Prop	Romania
Sione Halilo	Prop	Tonga
Sami Maris	Prop	Romania
Gigi Militaru	Prop	Romania
Octavian Robota	Prop	Romania
Marian Sabau	Prop	Romania
Manasa Saulo	Prop	Fiji
Alexandru Ţăruş	Prop	Romania
Sione Taupaki	Prop	Tonga
Marian Drenceanu	Lock	Romania
Dorin Lazar	Lock	Romania
Ionut Muresan	Lock	Romania
Valentin Popîrlan	Lock	Romania
Daniel Ianus	Flanker	Romania
Randall Morrison	Flanker	South Africa
Vasile Rus	Flanker	Romania
Laurentiu Tanase	Flanker	Romania
Catalin Vladeanu	Flanker	Romania
Stelian Burcea (c)	Number 8	Romania
Nemeki Nabalei	Number 8	Fiji

Player	Position	Union
Valentin Calafeteanu	Scrum-half	Romania
Eduard Ciaparii	Scrum-half	Romania
Victor Dumitru	Scrum-half	Romania
Hayden O'Donnell	Scrum-half	New Zealand
Jody Rose	Fly-half	South Africa
Sosene Anesi	Centre	New Zealand
Paula Kinikinilau	Centre	Tonga
Brian Sefanaia	Centre	Australia
Jack Umaga	Centre	New Zealand
Dimitri Avramovic	Wing	Serbia
Tangimana Fonovai	Centre	Tonga
Madalin Lemnaru	Wing	Romania
Viliami Moala	Wing	Tonga
Stephen Shennan	Wing	New Zealand
Daniel Zaharia	Wing	Romania
Gabriel Conache	Fullback	Romania