Alin Conache, the scrum half, contributed 16 points to Romania’s victory over Canada in men’s international rugby on Saturday, with a final score of 31-21.
Canada’s defeat at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf is likely to result in the team dropping at least one spot in the global rankings.
Next Saturday, Canada will face off against No. 11 Georgia in Batumi before taking on No. 20 Portugal on November 22 in Coimbra. Georgia had already secured a victory earlier on Saturday by defeating the U.S. Eagles, ranked 15th, with a score of 43-30 in Batumi.
Romania, ranked 21st, saw tries from Ovidiu Cojocaru, Cristi Chirică, and Tevita Manumua. Alin Conache successfully converted four penalties and two tries.
On the other hand, Mason Flesch, Piers Von Dadelszen, and Barnaby Waddell scored tries for Canada. Additionally, two Canadian players were sent to the sin-bin in the second half. Peter Nelson successfully converted three tries.
Barnaby Waddell, who plays for Bridgend Ravens in Wales, scored a crucial try in the dying moments of the game after making his debut off the bench in the second half.
The victory improved Romania’s head-to-head record against Canada to 8 wins out of 11 matches. Romania has emerged victorious in eight of the last nine encounters, with the sole exception being Canada’s 35-22 win at Ottawa’s TD Place Stadium in July 2024. Canada’s other wins over Romania were during the 1991 and 1995 World Cups.
Canada Struggles to Catch Up
Romania took an early lead on Saturday, scoring 3 points in the third minute through a penalty kick by Alin Conache after a violation by Canada’s Matt Oworu. Conache added more points in the ninth minute with another successful penalty kick following a Canadian infringement during a lineout.
By the 15th minute, Conache had extended Romania’s lead to 9-0 after Canada was pushed back in the scrum during their own put-in. Although Peter Nelson attempted a penalty kick in the 18th minute, it narrowly missed, hitting the goalpost.
Romania continued to dominate, increasing their lead to 12-0 in the 25th minute after Canada was penalized in the scrum.
Canada responded with a try from Mason Flesch in the 28th minute, reducing the deficit to 12-7 after Nelson successfully converted the try, bringing his total points for Canada to 201.
Alin Conache missed a kick towards the end of the first half.
With a 12-7 lead at halftime, Romania extended their advantage in the 42nd minute when Cojocaru scored a try from a lineout drive, converted by Conache, making it 19-7. Canada thought they had