Experienced Romania team ready for Eagles

Romania will field a team with plenty of test appearances against the US Eagles in Bucharest on Saturday. The starting lineup boasts six players with more than 50 caps to their name and there are another three ready to add their vast experience from the bench. High class goal kicker Florin Vlaicu leads the way with 93 caps while speedy fullback Catalin Fercu is right behind on 90.

At the other end of the scale is powerful Tongan back Fonovai Tangimana, who is set to debut on the wing after fulfilling his residency requirements. Other imports in the side are New Zealand midfielder Jack Umaga and a pair of South Africans – second row Johan van Heerden and flyhalf Jody Rose.

Head coach Lynn Howells has opted to stick with a winning formula, keeping together the majority of the team that bested Namibia, Uruguay, and the Argentina XV en route to the Nations Cup title in June. In fact their only loss in eight matches this year was to Georgia in Tbilisi during the European Nations Cup. A total of 13 players were part of the 2015 World Cup squad, including seven starting forwards.

Returning for the first time since that tournament is Castres prop Mihaita Lazar, who replaces his understudy Constantin Pristavita in the no1 jersey. Veteran scrumhalf Florin Surugiu is also recalled after a year’s absence at the expense of Valentin Calafeteanu. Muscular flanker Vasile Rus returns to the Oaks lineup for the first time since 2012, and there is a second new cap on the bench in the form of 20-year-old Timisoara center Florin Popa.

While Romania are ranked one spot higher than the Eagles on the official World Rugby Rankings, they have struggled to defeat the Americans, with their 1999 World Cup upset at Lansdowne Road their only victory in eight matches between the two sides. The previous two meetings both saw the Eagles winning in Bucharest by scores of 34-3 in 2012 and 27-17 in 2014.

The match kicks off at 6pm local time, 11am Eastern, and will be broadcast live on the Rugby Channel.

ROMANIA
1 Mihaita Lazar 2 Eugen Capatana 3 Alexandru Tarus 4 Johan van Heerden 5 Marius Antonescu 6 Vasile Rus 7 Viorel Lucaci 8 Stelian Burcea (capt.) 9 Florin Surugiu 10 Jody Rose 11 Ionut Dumitru 12 Florin Vlaicu 13 Jack Umaga 14 Fonovai Tangimana 15 Catalin Fercu

16 Andrei Radoi 17 Ionel Badiu 18 Alex Gordas 19 Valentin Poparlan 20 Andrei Gorcioaia 21 Valentin Calafeteanu 22 Vladut Popa 23 Stephen Shennan