Timișoara Saracens

Timișoara Saracens SCM UVT
Full name Timișoara Saracens Sport Club Municipal Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara
Founded 1949
Location Timișoara, Romania
Ground(s) Stadionul Gheorghe Rășcanu
Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu (Capacity: 32,972)
President Alexandru Ilie
Coach(es) New Zealand Sosene Anesi (Interim Head Coach)
South Africa Chester Williams (Director of Rugby)
League(s) SuperLiga CEC Bank
2016-17 3rd (Champions)
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
rugby-timisoara.ro

Timișoara Saracens SCM UVT is a Romanian professional rugby union club from Timișoara, which plays in the SuperLiga CEC Bank, the first division of Romanian rugby. The team first won the championship in 1972, becoming the first club outside Bucharest to achieve this performance. In the modern format of the SuperLiga, Timișoara Saracens won 4 titles in 6 seasons. The team is colloquially known as "Universitatea" Timișoara as it has historical ties with the University of Timișoara. Sosene Anesi is the current interim head coach of Timișoara Saracens. Chester Williams is the team's Director of Rugby. In 2014 the club became a partner of London-based Saracens rugby club.

History

In October 1949, CSUT (Club Sportiv Universitar Timișoara) 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 Timișoara 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 Timișoara; Mitică Antonescu was in charge of the team at that point. The year 1966 in the start of the ascension for the team from Timișoara. In the 1968–69 championship the team occupies 5th place, in the 1969–70 championship the 3ed place, in the 1970–71 championship the 5th place and in the 1971–72 championship, Universitatea Timișoara – after 58 years of supremacy from the teams from Bucharest – manages to bring the national title to Timișoara.

It is said that on 12 June 1972 (the day the team won the national title) the bells of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Timișoara 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 Timișoara 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, Timișoara was always places among the runners-up of the national standings, promoting student rugby.

Chester Williams Era

In January 2012, former Springbok Chester Williams (the only non-white player in South Africa's winning 1995 Rugby World Cup team) joined Timișoara as head coach. His first attempt to get involved with Romanian rugby was being the technical director for [CS Dinamo București (rugby)|CS Dinamo București]. He was close to taking over the bench of Timișoara in the summer of 2011, but negotiations were put to a hold because of the World Cup that was taking place in New Zealand.

Williams brought the first league title in 40 years to Timișoara in 2012. He was then replaced by fellow South African Danie de Villiers. In 2014, former New Zealand Heartland XV coach Grainger Heikell took over from Danie de Villiers as head coach of Timișoara Saracens.

Romanian Cup

In 2011, RCM Timișoara won the Romanian Cup, after a 32–10 victory against CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare. The match took place in Alba Iulia, on the Cetate Stadium. Timișoara Saracens won the Romania Cup once again in 2014 with a victory over CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare on Cluj Arena, and went on to win the cup in 2015 and 2016.

Romanian Rugby Championship (pre-2012) and SuperLiga (2012-)

In 2011, RCM Timișoara finished on the 3rd place. After losing 22–24 to CSM Știința Baia Mare in the semifinals of the Romanian Rugby Championship, the team from Timișoara won the match for 3rd place against Farul Constanţa (15–11). Valentin Calafeteanu was the MVP of the game. Under Chester Williams' management, they won the league in 2012 and 2013.

In 2014, Timișoara lost against Farul Constanța in the league semi-finals, after the medical visas were allegedly ripped out of the files of Timișoara's top six players.[1] This is one of many corruption accusations made by the team.

Timișoara Saracens won the league again in 2015 and 2016-17. These two finals, as well as the finals in 2012 and 2013, were played against CSM Știința Baia Mare. Timișoara won 8 out of 8 finals (in the SuperLiga, Romanian Cup and King's Cup) they played against Baia Mare.

Achievements

Current squad

Current as of May 29, 2017

Timișoara Saracens
Pos. Nat. Name Date of birth (age) Height Weight Caps Former club
HK Romania Eugen Căpăţână 18 June 1986 180 cm 105 kg 30 homegrown player
HK Romania Marian Gorcioaia 15 August 1992 188 cm 117 kg 1 Romania CSU AV Arad
HK Romania Andrei Rădoi 7 February 1987 181 cm 96 kg 54 England Ealing Trailfinders
HK Romania Claudiu Mîrzac 30 August 1997 175 cm 104 kg homegrown player
HK Romania Marian Sabău 14 August 1988 182 cm 114 kg Romania Știința Petroșani
HK United Kingdom James Paul Doyle 19 July 1991 186 cm 106 kg
PR Tonga Sione Halalilo 28 April 1992 185 cm 125 cm Tonga Toloa Old Boys
PR Tonga Edmund Aholelei 3 December 1981 190 cm 127 kg England London Welsh
PR Romania Samuel Mariș 13 May 1985 190 cm 127 kg 6 France CA Périgueux
PR Romania Gigi Militaru 14 August 1988 179 cm 117 kg 1 Romania Știința Petroșani
PR Tonga Sione Taupaki 11 August 1988 180 cm 112 kg Tonga Toloa Old Boys
PR Romania Alin Haidău 18 March 1997 174 cm 110 kg homegrown player
PR Romania Claudiu Pelin 19 February 1997 176 cm 97 kg homegrown player
PR Romania Horațiu Pungea 18 February 1986 190 cm 131 kg France Oyonnax
PR South Africa Marzuq Maarman 23 September 1992 183 cm 140 kg
PR South Africa Pieter Stemmet 18 February 1992 185 cm 114 kg
LK Romania Marian Drenceanu 1 March 1990 202 cm 126 kg 4 Romania CSU AV Arad
LK Romania Marius Iftimiciuc 13 August 1997 202 cm 123 kg homegrown player
LK Romania Dorin Lazăr 23 January 1990 196 cm 119 kg 16 Romania CSU AV Arad
LK Romania Valentin Popârlan 12 June 1987 197 cm 114 kg 67 Romania CSM Bucuresti
LK Romania Ionuț Mureșan 6 October 1994 194 cm 108 kg 2 Romania Știința Petroșani
LK Romania Marcel Rusu 18 May 1997 197 cm 97 kg homegrown player
FL Romania Daniel Ianuș 26 February 1987 192 cm 106 kg 13 Romania Steaua București
FL Romania Randall Morrison 12 February 1984 186 cm 107 kg 1 South Africa Golden Lions
FL Romania Vasile Rus 20 October 1983 193 cm 106 kg 13 France SC Mazamet
FL Romania George Tătăruș 7 May 1996 188 cm 86 kg homegrown player
FL Romania Vlad Neculau 7 January 1998 191 cm 92 kg homegrown player
N8 Samoa Michael Stewart 15 October 1991 195 cm 109 kg
SH Fiji Henry Seniloli 15 June 1989 175 cm 74 kg
SH South Africa Lötter Pretorius 1 March 1994 174 cm 73 kg South Africa Sharks
FH Romania Jody Rose 29 July 1986 178 cm 88 kg 12 South Africa Golden Lions
FH Argentina Emiliano Calle Rivas 20 June 1994 177 cm 80 kg
FH Romania Ovidiu Șarpe 6 January 1998 182 cm 76 kg homegrown player
FH New Zealand Stefano Hunt 11 August 1991 180 cm 88 kg
CE Romania Jack Umaga 18 June 1984 182 cm 98 kg 11 New Zealand Tasman Makos
CE Romania Marius Iștoc 29 March 1997 180 cm 98 kg homegrown player
CE Tonga Tevita Manumua 12 February 1993 189 cm 118 kg England Saracens
CE Romania Florin Popa 27 March 1996 180 cm 99 kg 3 homegrown player
CE Australia Brian Sefanaia 1 August 1986 184 cm 97 kg Australia North Harbour Rays
CE Romania Tangimana Fonovai 25 October 1989 185 cm 106 kg Tonga Toloa Old Boys
WG Romania Mădălin Lemnaru 26 March 1989 189 cm 95 kg 35 Romania CSU AV Arad
WG Tonga Viliami Moala 23 January 1981 174 cm 84 kg New Zealand Petone Rugby
WG Romania Stephen Shennan 7 January 1991 186 cm 86 kg 14 Australia Boroondara Redbacks
WG Romania Daniel Zaharia 12 January 1995 181 cm 77 kg Romania RC Bârlad
WG New Zealand Sosene Anesi 3 June 1981 189 cm 90 kg 1 New Zealand Chiefs
WG Romania Sebastian Brănișcan 20 January 1997 170 cm 80 kg homegrown player
FB Romania Gabriel Conache 24 January 1991 180 cm 88 kg 3 Romania CSU AV Arad
FB Romania Cătălin Fercu 5 September 1986 184 cm 90 kg 98 England Saracens
FB Romania Marius Simionescu 5 September 1997 187 cm 84 kg homegrown player

Notable players

See also

  1. ↑ http://www.gsp.ro/sporturi/rugby/au-disparut-foile-din-carnete-scandal-monstru-in-semifinalele-superligii-nationale-de-rugby-433903.html
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