Radio România Internațional

Tag: Rugby Europe Championship

  • March 2, 2025 UPDATE 3

    March 2, 2025 UPDATE 3

    SUMMIT – 15 European leaders and the Prime Minister of Canada are discussing in London support for Ukraine after the failure of the Trump-Zelenskyy talks in Washington, but also about creating a security identity for Europe, in the context of a possible military withdrawal of the United States. This is a unique moment for European security, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the start of the discussions. Among the leaders attending the summit are the president of France, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Ministers of Italy and Poland, as well as Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Representing Romania is interim president Ilie Bolojan. The agenda of the London meeting also includes security guarantees that the Europeans want to provide to Ukraine against Russia. The urgent increase in support for Ukraine and European defense are also high on the agenda of the special European summit to be organized on March 6. The EU Commission will table a proposal to deliver swift military aid to Ukraine, worth €20 billion. In addition, the Commission and Member States will consult on new instruments that should enable EU countries to increase defense spending this year, without falling into the infringement procedure for exceeding the budget deficit target. Last but not least, EU leaders will discuss the peace negotiations started by Trump and Putin without consulting or inviting either Ukraine or Europe to the table. The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said that if Ukraine is not satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations, the EU will continue to provide military aid to Kyiv in order to achieve a just peace.

     

    TRANSPORT – Air passenger transport in Romania went up 6% last year and reached 26 million passengers, the National Statistics Institute reports. The largest traffic flows were recorded at the “Henri Coandă” airport in Bucharest, “Avram Iancu” airport in Cluj Napoca (northwest) and at the International Airport in Iași (northeast). The largest shares in domestic air transport were recorded by the Henri Coandă-Bucharest airport, with 49.8% of the total number of passengers boarded, “Avram Iancu” airport in Cluj-Napoca with 17.6%, and the “Traian Vuia” airport in Timișoara (west) with 14.4%. Most airline passengers arrived from Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.

     

    ELECTION – Parties, political and election alliances, organizations representing national minorities and independent candidates have two weeks left to submit their candidacies to the Central Election Bureau for the presidential election slated for May. According to the election calendar set by the government and currently debated by Parliament, the election campaign will start on April 4 and last for a month. At home, the election will be held on May 4, while the vote abroad will start on May 2 and end on May 4. The second round is slated for May 18. This week Parliament dismissed Toni Greblă from the helm of the Permanent Election Authority and appointed an interim replacement. The Audiovisual Council also adopted a set of regulations that will apply to the election campaign.

     

    GAZA – Israel announced that it is suspending the entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip, criticizing the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas for refusing an American proposal to extend the ceasefire agreement. “Israel will not accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, more consequences will follow”, a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office reads. Hamas responded, describing Netanyahu’s decision to stop humanitarian aid as “cheap blackmail”, a “war crime” and “a blow” to the ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports. In a statement, Hamas urged the brokers of the ceasefire agreement to force Israel to end punitive measures against the Gaza Strip. The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement ended on Saturday without Hamas and Israel reaching an agreement to implement the second phase, which was supposed to take effect on Sunday and included the release of the remaining hostages in the Strip and a definitive end to the war.

     

    RUGBY – Romania’s rugby team lost 43-5 away from home to Georgia in the semi-finals of Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia thus claimed the Antim Ivireanu Cup, a trophy in play for every match pitting the two sides. In the other semi-final on Saturday, Portugal lost to Spain 42-31 in Lisbon. Georgia and Portugal will compete for the top spot while Romania will take on Spain for the third place final. Both matches are slated for March 14-16. (VP)

  • March 2, 2025 UPDATE 2

    March 2, 2025 UPDATE 2

    TRANSPORT – Air passenger transport in Romania went up 6% last year and reached 26 million passengers, the National Statistics Institute reports. The largest traffic flows were recorded at the “Henri Coandă” airport in Bucharest, “Avram Iancu” airport in Cluj Napoca (northwest) and at the International Airport in Iași (northeast). The largest shares in domestic air transport were recorded by the Henri Coandă-Bucharest airport, with 49.8% of the total number of passengers boarded, “Avram Iancu” airport in Cluj-Napoca with 17.6%, and the “Traian Vuia” airport in Timișoara (west) with 14.4%. Most airline passengers arrived from Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain and France.

     

    RUGBY – Romania’s rugby team lost 43-5 away from home to Georgia in the semi-finals of Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia thus claimed the Antim Ivireanu Cup, a trophy in play for every match pitting the two sides. In the other semi-final on Saturday, Portugal lost to Spain 42-31 in Lisbon. Georgia and Portugal will compete for the top spot while Romania will take on Spain for the third place final. Both matches are slated for March 14-16. (VP)

  • March 2, 2025 UPDATE 1

    March 2, 2025 UPDATE 1

    RUGBY – Romania’s rugby team lost 43-5 away from home to Georgia in the semi-finals of Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia thus claimed the Antim Ivireanu Cup, a trophy in play for every match pitting the two sides. In the other semi-final on Saturday, Portugal lost to Spain 42-31 in Lisbon. Georgia and Portugal will compete for the top spot while Romania will take on Spain for the third place final. Both matches are slated for March 14-16. (VP)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    At the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Austin, offering some 275 thousand USD in total prizes, Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (WTA 120) will take on 5th-seed McCartney Kessler (56 WTA) of the USA in the quarterfinals. In the round of 16, on Thursday, Sorana beat second-seed Diana Schnaider (WTA 13) of Russia, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. The Romanian player thus secured a 6,815-USD check and 54 WTA points.

     

    The Romanian rugby team will compete in the semifinals of the 2025 edition of Rugby Europe Championship, the second most important European competition after the Six Nations Tournament. The “Oaks” will take on Georgia in Tbilisi. Georgia is currently the best-performing team in Rugby Europe Championship, currently ranked 11th in world standings, better than the much more successful team of Wales, which is ranked 12th. In this global hierarchy, Romania ranks 20th. We recall that, by qualifying to the semifinals of Rugby Europe Championship after grabbing wins over Germany and Belgium in the group stage, Romania qualified to the 2027 World Cup, which will be held in Australia.

     

    This weekend will see matches in the Romanian Football Super League, counting towards the 29th round, the second-to-last of the regular season. On Friday, Unirea Slobozia will play Oţelul Galaţi whereas Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe will take on CFR Cluj. On Saturday, Universitatea Cluj will play FC Botoşani at home, while Universitatea Craiova will take on Farul Constanţa, also at home. In the first match on Sunday, in Iaşi, the local side Politehnica will meet Petrolul Ploieşti. The highlight match will take place on the National Arena stadium in the capital-city, pitting Rapid against Bucharest rivals FCSB. Rapid needs at least a draw to secure a place in the group stage. Finally, on Monday, Gloria Buzău will play UTA Arad while Dinamo Bucharest will take on FC Hermannstadt. FCSB tops the league tables with 52 points, followed by Universitatea Cluj with 51. (VP)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

     

    Romania came out 2nd in Group B of the Rugby Europe Championship, the second most valuable rugby tier on the continent after the 6 Nations Tournament. Romania failed to win the group after being defeated by Portugal in Botoşani on Saturday, 34-6. The semi-finals will take place on March 1. Romania will play away against Georgia, and Portugal will take on Spain, at home. A place among the top 4 teams in the competition ensured the Romanians direct qualification to the 2027 World Cup.

     

    In handball, games took place in the women’s European competitions over the weekend. In the Champions League, Group A, on Saturday, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud were defeated at home by the French team Metz, 34-8, and on Sunday, CSM Bucharest won in Norway against Storhamar, 32-21. One round before the end of the group stage, CSM are in 3rd place, and Gloria in 7th. In the last round, the 2 teams will play each other in Bucharest. CSM has secured its qualification in the play-offs for the quarter-finals. The Bistriţa team needs a win in the last round, coupled with a defeat of the Norwegian team Storhamar by the group leader, Metz. In Group B, Rapid did not play, as the team they were supposed to meet, namely the Norwegian group Vipers Kristiansand, withdrew from the competition. Rapid is in 7th place and, in order to qualify for the quarter-final play-offs, they must not lose in the last round, in Podgorica, against Buducnost.

     

    In the EHF European League, both Romanian teams that played on Saturday won their respective matches. In Group A, Dunărea Brăila defeated the Spanish team Elche 32-29 away from home, and in the next round they will take on Ikast (in Denmark). In Group B, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea defeated the German team Borussia Dortmund at home, 32-27, and will meet the Norwegian team Larvik on Sunday at home. Both Romanian teams lead their respective groups.

     

    The Romanian Men’s Basketball Cup was won by CSO Voluntari, who Sunday won the final against CSM CSU Oradea, 93-83. CSO Voluntari thus won the third Romanian Cup in its history, after the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Oradea team has played eight finals so far, and has lost all of them.

     

    We end with football. Over the weekend, matches counting for round 27 of the Romanian Super League took place. On Friday, Hermannstadt won against Sfântu Gheorghe 3-2, and Universitatea Craiova beat Oţelul Galaţi 2-1 at home. On Saturday, UTA won in Ploieşti against Petrolul 1-0, and Farul Constanţa beat Dinamo 2-0 in Bucharest. On Sunday, the game in Iaşi between Poli and CFR Cluj ended in a 1-all draw, then FCSB defeated Gloria Buzău 2-0 away from home. The last two matches of the round, pitting Universitatea Cluj against Unirea Slobozia and Rapid Bucharest against FC Botoșani, are scheduled on Monday. FCSB leads the standings with 49 points, and Craiova follows with 48. (AMP)

  • February 15, 2025 UPDATE

    February 15, 2025 UPDATE

    MOTION The opposition SOS Romania has announced it will table a censure motion against the government led by Social-Democrat Marcel Ciolacu, a document also assumed by the opposition AUR MPs and signed by 125 MPs. The opposition USR MPs say they will announce whether they support or not the move. In turn, the ruling coalition has given assurances the motion stands no chances to get endorsed. No PSD MP will say yes to the censure motion against the Ciolacu government says the vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies, Social Democrat Daniel Suciu. He says the move initiated by the opposition would jeopardize the country’s stability. The PNL interim president, Catalin Predoiu, says that the Liberals will defend the government through their vote. Also on Monday, Education Minister, Daniel David, is expected to attend the ‘Government Hour’ hosted by the Chamber of Deputies, upon an AUR request. The AUR MPs are criticizing the measures proposed by the minister on the elimination of the compulsory studying of geography and history by high-school students. AUR has called for keeping the aforementioned subjects in the school programme so that they may contribute to the education of the new generations.

     

    DNA Romanian prosecutors have placed the head of the Joint Logistic Command of the Romanian Army, General Catalin Stefanita Zisu, under legal control on bail for abuse of office with aggravating consequences – according to sources withy the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, known in Romania as DNA. The bail in Zisu’s case stands at 200 thousand Euros, which he must make available in seven days. Retired colonel Lucian Amoraritei has also been charged on several counts, such as forgery, use of forgery and abuse of office. Businessman Ionel Olteanu is also involved with the case. According to prosecutors, between 2022-2023, the two army officers approved the settlements of the invoices issued, although they knew that part of the works at the Ghencea Military Cemetery in Bucharest had not been done. The prejudice they caused was estimated at roughly 12 million lei.

     

    TALKS The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed at the Security Conference in Munich on Saturday that talks are underway with the USA over raw materials exchanges for Washington’s support in countering the Russian invasion. The US president Donald Trump has repeatedly said the US wants access to Ukraine’s vast resources of rare earths and other critical minerals, underlining that the USA should get something in exchange for its military support. At the Security Conference in Munich, Romania is being represented by its Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu. According to a communiqué issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bucharest, Minister Hurezeanu will be presenting Romania’s assessments of the present regional challenges, such as the deterioration of the security situation in the Black Sea area and the implications of the aggression war Russia is presently waging on Ukraine for the security of the Euro-Atlantic area. The Romanian official is also going to underline the danger of the hybrid actions taken by the Russian Federation and the importance of countering suchlike activities. The head of the Bucharest diplomacy will be pleading for the continued solid support aimed at increasing the resilience of the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova. During the same conference on Friday, the new vice-president of the United States, Republican JD Vance lashed out at the European leaders, whom he compared with the autocrats who headed the repressive regimes in Europe during the Cold War. He voiced concern over Europe, which he said is retreating from its fundamental values and gave several examples of repressive measures, including the cancellation of the presidential election in Romania late last year.

     

    RUGBY Romania’s national rugby side on Saturday conceded defeat to Portugal, 34-6, in their last match in Group B of Rugby Europe Championships 2025. Both sides have already qualified for World Cup 2027 in Australia after their wins this month in Rugby Europe Championships. The Romanians secured a 48-10 home win against Germany and an away win against Belgium, 31-14. Romania failed to qualify only in one |World Cup edition, namely in 2019, when it was disqualified due to an error of the Romanian rugby Federation, which included in its lineup an ineligible player.

    (bill)

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • February 1, 2025

    February 1, 2025

    2025 BUDGET – The Government has passed Romania’s draft budget for 2025 without modifying any taxes. According to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the budget focuses on development with 30 billion EUR allotted to investments, an increase of about 6 billion EUR compared to the previous year. At the same time, operating costs will be reduced by 0.5%, and personnel and goods and services costs will be adjusted. The budget was built on economic growth of 2.5%, a budget deficit of 7.04% of GDP, and an average annual inflation rate of 4.4%. Investments and protecting citizens’ purchasing power are the main priorities of the state budget, authorities say. The ministries that will benefit from a budget increase are the ministries of Investment, Transport, Education and the Labor Ministry, while the ministries of Culture, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, the two chambers of Parliament and the Presidential Administration will see their budgets slashed. The budget and social security bills have been expedited to Parliament for debate and approval.

     

    INVESTIGATION – European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu, has called for the launch of a European action plan to recover the four Romanian artifacts stolen a week ago from an exhibition in the Netherlands, stressing that the robbery must be treated as a crime against the common European heritage. In the Netherlands, the police have revealed the identity and published the photos of two of the three arrested suspects (all Dutch). Law enforcement officers are trying to find out what became of the stolen items: the golden helmet from Coțofenești and the three Dacian bracelets. In the meantime, the exhibits from the collection displayed at the Drents Museum in Assen, except the four artifacts, have arrived in Romania.

     

    TARIFFS – Imports from Canada and Mexico will be taxed 25% starting Saturday upon arrival in the United States, and those from China will be subject to a 10% tariff. President Donald Trump has stressed that these tariffs are instrumental to his economic vision for the United States and that they will help strengthen the economy. News agencies recall that the US, Canada and Mexico have adhered to a free trade agreement, signed by Donald Trump during his first term, but the document is expected to be reviewed in 2026. The White House said it is imposing higher taxes because Beijing produces and distributes fentanyl – a cheap, highly addictive drug, and Mexico and Canada allow the drug to enter the USA. As for Canada, Donald Trump announced that Canadian oil will be taxed 10% starting February 18. Analysts warn that this will trigger an increase in the inflation rate and cascading increase in prices. According to the BBC, 40% of the crude oil in American refineries is imported, and most of it comes from Canada. After president Trump gave assurances that higher customs duties will be introduced for European products in March, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that, on the sidelines of Monday’s informal meeting of European leaders, he would support a decision that encourages European companies to jointly manufacture and purchase weapons.

     

    HOSTAGES – Three more Israeli hostages from Gaza, all men, have been released by Hamas, 16 months after they were kidnapped during the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. Israel too has freed 182 Palestinian prisoners. This is the fourth prisoner exchange since the ceasefire agreement came into force in Gaza on January 19. At the time, Hamas released 18 hostages. According to the ceasefire agreement, during the first phase, 33 out of the approximately 100 hostages still held in the Palestinian enclave will be released. In the meantime, both parties will need to negotiate the second phase of the ceasefire, which would also involve the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinians are expected to cross into Egypt at the Rafah crossing point, which has been recently reopened.

     

    RUGBY – The Romanian national rugby team trounced Germany 48-10 (13-10) on Friday, on the Triumphal Arch stadium in Bucharest in their debut match in this year’s edition of Rugby Europe Championship. In the next round, on February 8, Romania will play Belgium away from home. The top two teams in each group will qualify to the 2027 World Cup to be hosted by Australia. (VP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

     

    At the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, the Romanian athlete Julia Sauter came out 8th in the short program on Wednesday, with a score of 61.96. The best performance came from Georgia’s Anastasia Gubanova, last year’s runner-up, with 68.99, followed by Niina Petrõkina of Estonia with 68.94, and Kimmy Repond (Switzerland) with 68.68. The top 24 skaters in the short program qualified for the free skating segment, which will take place on Friday.

     

    In basketball, U-BT Cluj-Napoca suffered a dramatic defeated on Wednesday, away from home, against the Lithuanian side Lietkabelis Panevezys, 92-91, in the last but one leg of the men’s EuroCup Group B. The Baltic team scored the winning points just 2 seconds before the end of the game. The American Zavier Simpson was the best player for Cluj, with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. The hosts’ best player was the former CSM CSU Oradea player, Dovis Bičkauskis, with 13 points and 4 rebounds, who also set the final score. In the last leg, U-BT Cluj-Napoca play away from home against Aris Thessaloniki, on February 5, and they need a win to qualify for the play-offs.

     

    In FIBA ​​Europe Cup, Group M, CSM CSU Oradea defeated, at home, the Greek team PAOK Thessaloniki with 83-74. The player who made the difference for Oradea was the Lithuanian Donatas Tarolis, with 30 points and 5 rebounds. In the other match in the group, the French team Bourgogne Dijon defeated the Estonian team Kalev Tallinn 76-70. PAOK are top placed, with 9 points. Next come Dijon with 8 points, Oradea (7) and Kalev (6). Next Wednesday, Oradea play in Estonia and need a victory to qualify for the quarterfinals, but only if PAOK wins in France against Dijon.

     

    The Romanian rugby team, coached by David Gérard, Friday starts its new season in the Rugby Europe Championship, the second continental value tier after the Six Nations Tournament, with a match against Germany in Bucharest. Group B also includes Belgium, against which Romania will play away from home on Saturday, February 8, and Portugal, due to travel to Botoşani, Romania on February 15. The top 2 teams in each group of the 2025 Rugby Europe Championship qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. (AMP)

  • RRI Sports Club – Rugby

    RRI Sports Club – Rugby

    The spring season of European rugby competitions has come to a close. For the second year in a row, Ireland won the Six Nations Championship, whereas Georgia won the second-tier competition – Rugby Europe Championship, where Romania ranked 4th.

     

     

    In the bronze final hosted by Paris on Sunday, “the Oaks” lost to Spain 40-33. Romania scored five tries – two each by Marius Simionescu and Jason Tomane and once by Adrian Mitu.  The Spanish side was superior on all counts, and the Romanians couldn’t help but notice how hard it is to remain in the upper half of Rugby Europe Championship standings.

     

     

    For the 2024 edition of Rugby Europe Championship, Romania was coached by David Gérard of France, who replaced Eugen Apjok, the first Romanian to coach the national squad in the last few years, who left the team following Romania’s subpar results at the World Cup. “The Oaks” were drawn in Group B. In the first match, they defeated Poland away from home, 20-8. The narrow win compared to the matches of previous years against the Polish side got experts thinking, as did the following match, when Romania won 33-18 against Belgium in Bucharest, at the end of a match fraught with many mistakes and a shaky defense. The deciding match for the group’s winner pitted Romania against Portugal in Bucharest, “the Oaks” losing 49-24.

     

     

    Ranking second in Group B meant Romania had to play the match against the winner of Group A, Georgia, away from home. In Tbilisi, the host team won 43-5, scoring 7 tries. With this win, Georgia also won the Antim Ivireanu Trophy, which the two teams have been competing for since 2002. Romania then played the bronze final against Spain, just like the previous year. In 2023, however, Romania defeated Spain away from home. (VP)

  • Sport Club RRI: Rugby

    Sport Club RRI: Rugby

    Sezonul internaţional de rugby 2024 a început bine pentru echipa
    României. În prima etapă din Rugby Europe Championship, al doilea eşalon
    valoric la nivel continental, Stejarii au învins, în deplasare,
    reprezentativa Poloniei cu scorul de 20 la 8. Partida a avut loc la Gdynia. România
    a marcat trei eseuri, prin Damian Strătilă, Alexandru Savin şi Tevita Manumua,
    toate în prima repriză. Tudor Boldor a transformat un eseu şi, în partea a doua
    a jocului, o lovitură de pedeapsă. Jocul a fost mai echilibrat decât ne
    aşteptam, Polonia fiind echipa cel mai slab cotată din Grupa B. Anul trecut, în
    confruntarea directă, Stejarii s-au impus cu 67 la 27. Acum, nu au reuşit
    nici măcar să înscrie cel de-al patrulea eseu, care le-ar fi adus punctul bonus
    ofensiv.


    A fost primul joc al echipei României sub conducerea noii echipe tehnice.
    Antrenor principal este francezul David Gérard, fost jucător de linia a doua,
    având în palmares o selecţie în prima reprezentativă a Cocoşului Galic. Ca
    tehnician, a pregătit, la Cupa Mondială de anul trecut, înaintarea echipei
    Portugaliei, cu rezultate foarte bune.


    În celălalt joc al Grupei B, echipa Belgiei a trecut, surprinzător, de
    Portugalia, pe teren propriu, cu 10 la 6. Până duminică, lusitanii erau
    favoriţi la câştigarea grupei. Veneau după o evoluţie bună la Cupa Mondială
    care a avut loc în toamnă, în Franţa, unde au trecut de Fiji şi au remizat cu Georgia.
    Acum, se pare că toate echipele au şanse la câştigarea grupei.


    În Grupa A, Spania a învins, în deplasare, echipa Ţărilor de Jos cu 20 la
    18, iar Georgia s-a impus în Germania cu 28 la 17. Următoarele etape vor avea
    loc în cele două weekenduri care vin. Vor urma semifinalele, programate în
    weekendul 2-3 martie şi finalele, pe 17 martie, la Paris. În ediţia trecută a
    competiţiei, România a ocupat locul al treilea, după ce a învins Spania, cu
    31-25, în finala mică, la Badajoz.


    Următoarele jocuri ale Stejarilor sunt programate la Bucureşti, pe 10
    februarie cu Belgia şi pe 17, cu Portugalia. Pentru partida de sâmbătă,
    conducerea tehnică a echipei naţionale a efectuat cinci schimbări în lot faţă
    de formula din jocul cu Polonia.


  • Sport Club RRI: Rugby

    Sport Club RRI: Rugby

    Echipa de rugby
    a României a încheiat cu o victorie sezonul de primăvară. În finala mică a
    competiţiei continentale Rugby Europe Championship, Stejarii au trecut de
    Spania cu 31 la 25 şi au ocupat locul 3 în ierarhia finală a competiţiei.
    România a înscris patru eseuri, prin Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel
    Pop şi Gabriel Rupanu. Au mai marcat Paul Popoaia, printr-o lovitură de
    pedeapsă şi o transformare, şi Vlăduţ Popa, care a fructificat două lovituri de
    pedeapsă. Gabriel Pop, debutant la echipa naţională a României, a fost desemnat
    Jucătorul meciului. Sportiv în vârstă de 25 de ani, el joacă la Dinamo
    Bucureşti.


    Turneul final
    găzduit de localitatea spaniolă Badajoz s-a încheiat cu finala mare a
    competiţiei Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia a trecut de Portugalia cu 38 la
    11 şi a câştigat întrecerea pentru a şasea oară consecutiv. Cele două echipe
    amintite au fost singurele care au învins România. Acest lucru era de aşteptat,
    ţinând cont că ambele formaţii sunt mai bine cotate, în clasamentul mondial,
    decât selecţionata Stejarilor. În acest moment, după rezultatele de la
    Badajoz, Georgia ocupă locul 11, Portugalia se situează pe 16, iar România, pe 19.
    Mai mult, tricolorii au susţinut în deplasare jocurile cu lusitanii şi gruzinii.


    Evoluţiile
    echipei României în acest debut de an au fost inegale. În anumite momente,
    echipa a jucat un rugby frumos, cu combinaţii exacte şi chiar spectaculoase. Au
    fost însă şi perioade slabe, marcate de greşeli care au permis adversarilor să
    înscrie zeci de puncte. Este nevoie de corecţii serioase la acest capitol, mai
    ales în vederea Cupei Mondiale care va avea loc în toamnă, în Franţa. Pe 9
    septembrie, Stejarii vor debuta împotriva Irlandei, la Bordeaux. Tot acolo vor
    juca, pe 17, cu Africa de Sud, campioana mondială en titre. Va urma jocul cu
    Scoția, care va avea loc pe 30 septembrie, la Lille, oraș care va găzdui și
    ultimul meci al României, pe 8 octombrie, cu Tonga.


  • Sport Club RRI: Rugby

    Sport Club RRI: Rugby

    Echipa de rugby
    a României a încheiat cu o victorie sezonul de primăvară. În finala mică a
    competiţiei continentale Rugby Europe Championship, Stejarii au trecut de
    Spania cu 31 la 25 şi au ocupat locul 3 în ierarhia finală a competiţiei.
    România a înscris patru eseuri, prin Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel
    Pop şi Gabriel Rupanu. Au mai marcat Paul Popoaia, printr-o lovitură de
    pedeapsă şi o transformare, şi Vlăduţ Popa, care a fructificat două lovituri de
    pedeapsă. Gabriel Pop, debutant la echipa naţională a României, a fost desemnat
    Jucătorul meciului. Sportiv în vârstă de 25 de ani, el joacă la Dinamo
    Bucureşti.


    Turneul final
    găzduit de localitatea spaniolă Badajoz s-a încheiat cu finala mare a
    competiţiei Rugby Europe Championship. Georgia a trecut de Portugalia cu 38 la
    11 şi a câştigat întrecerea pentru a şasea oară consecutiv. Cele două echipe
    amintite au fost singurele care au învins România. Acest lucru era de aşteptat,
    ţinând cont că ambele formaţii sunt mai bine cotate, în clasamentul mondial,
    decât selecţionata Stejarilor. În acest moment, după rezultatele de la
    Badajoz, Georgia ocupă locul 11, Portugalia se situează pe 16, iar România, pe 19.
    Mai mult, tricolorii au susţinut în deplasare jocurile cu lusitanii şi gruzinii.


    Evoluţiile
    echipei României în acest debut de an au fost inegale. În anumite momente,
    echipa a jucat un rugby frumos, cu combinaţii exacte şi chiar spectaculoase. Au
    fost însă şi perioade slabe, marcate de greşeli care au permis adversarilor să
    înscrie zeci de puncte. Este nevoie de corecţii serioase la acest capitol, mai
    ales în vederea Cupei Mondiale care va avea loc în toamnă, în Franţa. Pe 9
    septembrie, Stejarii vor debuta împotriva Irlandei, la Bordeaux. Tot acolo vor
    juca, pe 17, cu Africa de Sud, campioana mondială en titre. Va urma jocul cu
    Scoția, care va avea loc pe 30 septembrie, la Lille, oraș care va găzdui și
    ultimul meci al României, pe 8 octombrie, cu Tonga.


  • Săptămâna sportivă

    Săptămâna sportivă

    Echipa României
    a încheiat pe locul 3 ediţia 2023 a competiţiei continentale Rugby Europe
    Championship. În finala mică a întrecerii, desfăşurată duminică, la Badajoz, în
    Spania, Stejarii au trecut de echipa ţării gazdă cu 31 la 25. România a
    înscris patru eseuri, prin Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel Pop şi
    Gabriel Rupanu. Au mai marcat Paul Popoaia, printr-o lovitură de pedeapsă şi o
    transformare, şi Vlăduţ Popa, care a fructificat două lovituri de pedeapsă. Competiţia
    a fost câştigată pentru a şasea oară consecutiv de Georgia, care a trecut în
    finala mare de Portugalia cu 38 la 11.


    În weekend a
    avut loc manşa întâi a barajului pentru calificarea în sferturile de finală ale
    Ligii Campionilor la handbal feminin. În Slovenia, Krim Ljubljana a trecut,
    duminică, de Rapid Bucureşti cu 29 la 24. Cea mai eficientă jucătoare a echipei
    campioane a României a fost franţuzoaica Orlane Kanor, care a înscris de cinci
    ori. S-au mai remarcat Eliza Buceschi şi jucătoarea spaniolă Alicia Fernandez,
    cu câte patru reuşite. A fost primul meci internaţional al Rapidului cu
    antrenorul danez Kim Rasmussen la cârmă, cel care, în 2016, a câştigat trofeul
    Ligii Campionilor cu CSM Bucureşti. Partida retur se va juca duminica viitoare.
    Dacă trece de Krim, Rapid va juca în sferturile de finală, cu echipa norvegiană
    Vipers Kristiansand, câștigătoarea ediției de anul trecut a Ligii Campionilor.


    Trecem la
    fotbal. În weekend au avut loc partide contând pentru prima etapă a fazelor
    play-off şi play-out ale Superligii române. În play-off, sâmbătă, la Bucureşti,
    FCSB a încheiat la egalitate, scor 1 la 1, cu Universitatea Craiova. Duminică,
    la Ovidiu, Farul Constanţa a trecut cu 2-1 de Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, iar la
    Cluj, CFR şi Rapid Bucureşti au terminat egal, 2 la 2. Conduce în clasament
    Farul, cu 35 de puncte. Urmează CFR, cu 33. În play-out, vineri, FC Voluntari a
    remizat pe teren propriu cu Hermannstadt, scor 1 la 1, iar la Ploieşti,
    Petrolul a dispus de UTA cu 1-0. Sâmbătă, FC Botoşani a învins, acasă, Chindia
    Târgovişte cu 1-0. Luni, ultimele două jocuri ale etapei: FC U Craiova cu
    Mioveni şi Universitatea Cluj cu FC Argeş.


  • Săptămâna sportivă

    Săptămâna sportivă

    Echipa României
    a încheiat pe locul 3 ediţia 2023 a competiţiei continentale Rugby Europe
    Championship. În finala mică a întrecerii, desfăşurată duminică, la Badajoz, în
    Spania, Stejarii au trecut de echipa ţării gazdă cu 31 la 25. România a
    înscris patru eseuri, prin Marius Simionescu, Cristi Chirica, Gabriel Pop şi
    Gabriel Rupanu. Au mai marcat Paul Popoaia, printr-o lovitură de pedeapsă şi o
    transformare, şi Vlăduţ Popa, care a fructificat două lovituri de pedeapsă. Competiţia
    a fost câştigată pentru a şasea oară consecutiv de Georgia, care a trecut în
    finala mare de Portugalia cu 38 la 11.


    În weekend a
    avut loc manşa întâi a barajului pentru calificarea în sferturile de finală ale
    Ligii Campionilor la handbal feminin. În Slovenia, Krim Ljubljana a trecut,
    duminică, de Rapid Bucureşti cu 29 la 24. Cea mai eficientă jucătoare a echipei
    campioane a României a fost franţuzoaica Orlane Kanor, care a înscris de cinci
    ori. S-au mai remarcat Eliza Buceschi şi jucătoarea spaniolă Alicia Fernandez,
    cu câte patru reuşite. A fost primul meci internaţional al Rapidului cu
    antrenorul danez Kim Rasmussen la cârmă, cel care, în 2016, a câştigat trofeul
    Ligii Campionilor cu CSM Bucureşti. Partida retur se va juca duminica viitoare.
    Dacă trece de Krim, Rapid va juca în sferturile de finală, cu echipa norvegiană
    Vipers Kristiansand, câștigătoarea ediției de anul trecut a Ligii Campionilor.


    Trecem la
    fotbal. În weekend au avut loc partide contând pentru prima etapă a fazelor
    play-off şi play-out ale Superligii române. În play-off, sâmbătă, la Bucureşti,
    FCSB a încheiat la egalitate, scor 1 la 1, cu Universitatea Craiova. Duminică,
    la Ovidiu, Farul Constanţa a trecut cu 2-1 de Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, iar la
    Cluj, CFR şi Rapid Bucureşti au terminat egal, 2 la 2. Conduce în clasament
    Farul, cu 35 de puncte. Urmează CFR, cu 33. În play-out, vineri, FC Voluntari a
    remizat pe teren propriu cu Hermannstadt, scor 1 la 1, iar la Ploieşti,
    Petrolul a dispus de UTA cu 1-0. Sâmbătă, FC Botoşani a învins, acasă, Chindia
    Târgovişte cu 1-0. Luni, ultimele două jocuri ale etapei: FC U Craiova cu
    Mioveni şi Universitatea Cluj cu FC Argeş.


  • February 12, 2023

    February 12, 2023

    VISIT – Bavaria’s minister-president,
    Markus Söder, will visit Romania on Monday. The German official will meet
    president Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, the German Embassy
    reports. Markus Söder will also hold talks with representatives of the German
    minority in Romania and the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce. On the
    sidelines of his meeting with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, the two officials
    will sign a joint statement aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation to such
    fields as national security, IT, justice, cyber security, science and research,
    economy, language, education and social.




    QUAKE -
    The death toll of the deadly February 6 earthquake exceeded 28,000 on Sunday
    and risks doubling, the UN deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs,
    Martin Griffiths has warned. According to the UN official, who visited Turkey
    on Saturday, the quake has killed over 24,000 people in Turkey and over 3,500
    in Syria. The UN warns that at least 870 thousand people need warm meals in
    Turkey and Syria. Some 26 million people have been affected by the quake, the
    World Health Organization estimates. Turkey’s disaster agency says 32,000
    people from Turkish organizations are working on search and rescue efforts.
    Some 8,300 international rescuers are also contributing. On the other hand, the
    Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union to Syria, Dan Stoenescu, told Reuters
    on Sunday that the EU and Member States have raised €50 million to provide aid
    and back rescue missions and first aid in both government-held and
    rebel-controlled parts of Syria.




    RELIEF -
    The first train carrying relief materials from the EU’s reserve has left
    Bucharest and is expected to arrive on Tuesday in quake-hit Turkey. According
    to Raed Arafat, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, the first
    transport includes 1,200 tents, 8,000 beds, 2,200 mattresses and 4,800 pillows.
    On Sunday, Romanian rescuers pulled a 35-year-old man from debris after a
    12-hour straight operation, raising the total number of people saved to 6.
    Romania has two search and rescue teams currently deployed to Turkey.
    Additionally, volunteers from Constanța, including four search and rescue
    experts with CERONAV (the Romanian Center for Training Naval Transport
    Personnel), have left to the most affected areas and joined the Turkish
    authorities in the city of Islahiye in an attempt to rescue people still
    trapped beneath collapsed buildings.




    EUROVISION – Theodor Andrei will represent
    Romania at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest with his song D.G.T. (Off and on) after winning the national selection contest on
    Saturday night. This year’s edition of Eurovision will be hosted by Liverpool,
    UK on behalf of Ukraine, the country that won last year’s edition and which is
    currently unable to host the contest due to the war. The semi-finals are
    scheduled for May 9 and 11. Romania’s representative will compete in the second
    semi-final. The final will be held on May 13. Organized since 1956, the
    Eurovision Song Contest is one of the longest-standing and most watched TV
    programs in the world. It is broadcast to Europe, Australia, Asia and the USA.
    Romania’s best rankings in the Eurovision was third place in 2005 (Kyiv – Luminiţa
    Anghel & Sistem) and 2010 (Oslo – Paula Seling and Ovi), and fourth place
    in 2006 (Athens – Mihai Trăistariu).




    WORLD RADIO
    DAY – On World Radio Day, celebrated on February 13, Romanian artists will
    express their support with war-torn Ukraine by sending a message of hope and
    peace. Vocalists, the Radio Children’s Choir and the Radio Big Band will interpret
    the song called Heal the World, a
    reinterpretation of Michael Jackson’s famous 1991 single, written by the Radio
    Big Band conductor Simona Strungaru. The song will be aired on all Radio
    Romania stations in celebration of World Radio Day 2023.




    RUGBY -
    Romania’s national rugby team has qualified to the semi-finals of Rugby Europe
    Championship 2023 after defeating Belgium 56-5 on Saturday away from home.
    Romania was drafted in Group B alongside Portugal, Belgium and Poland. Group A
    comprises Georgia, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany. On February 19, Romania
    will play Portugal away from home in a match that will decide the group’s
    winner. (VP)