Timișoara Saracens
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| Full name | Rugby Club Municipal Universitatea Timişoara | |
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| Founded | 1949 | |
| Location | Timişoara, Romania | |
| Ground(s) |
Stadionul Electromotor (Capacity: 1,000) Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu (Capacity: 32,972) | |
| President | Alexandru Ilie | |
| Coach(es) |
 Grainger Heikell Sosene Anesi | |
| League(s) | Divizia Naţională | |
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| Official website | ||
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rugby-timisoara | ||
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. Grainger Heikell is the current head coach of Timisoara Saracens. 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. In 2014, former New Zealand Heartland XV coach Grainger Heikell took over from Danie de Villiers as head coach of Timisoara Saracens.
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.
Romania Cup (2011 & 2014)
RCM Timişoara won the Romania Cup, after a 32-10 victory against CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare. The match took place in the city of Alba Iulia, on Cetate Stadium. Timisoara Saracens took back the Romania Cup in 2014 with a victory over CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare at Cluj Arena
Achievements
- Divizia Naţională:
- Winners (4): 1972, 2012, 2013, 2015
- Runner-up (1): 1973
- Third Place (7): 1974, 1975, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2011, 2014
- Romania Cup:
- Winners (3): 2011, 2014, 2015
- 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.
2015 RWC players |
Other capped players
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Notable players
See also
External links
- RCM Timişoara - Official club website
- Saracens World - website showing RCM Timişoara as a member of Saracens Global Network
- Federatia Romana de Rugby
- PlanetaOvala.ro - Romanian Rugby News
- Energy Cup
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