World Rugby Nations Cup – Romania vs USA – ARN Guide

The USA escaped France with a narrow win over underdogs Hong Kong, and now face a stronger opponent in Bucharest. Romania on the other hand came up just short against Tonga and with two extra days will fancy their chances of an upset. Both teams have bolstered their lineups for the World Rugby Nations Cup Round 5 fixture.

 

FORM GUIDE

Current World Ranking: 23 (61.72 points)

2026-11-06	Romania	38-43	Tonga	Bucharest
2026-07-18	Samoa	37-38	Romania	Montevideo
2026-07-11	Uruguay	36-36	Romania	Montevideo
2026-07-04	Chile	48-31	Romania	Santiago
2026-03-15	Spain	29-23	Romania	Madrid

Current World Ranking: 15 (67.80 points)

2026-11-08	Hong Kong	26-28	USA	Bourg-en-Bresse
2026-10-24	USA	12-61	Australia ‘A’	Nashville
2026-09-19	USA	16-19	Canada	Tokyo
2026-09-12	Japan	63-14	USA	Osaka
2026-07-18	USA	29-22	Spain	Raleigh

 

STARTING LINEUP CHANGES

	IN	OUT
4	Andrei Mahu	Logan Weidner
8	Adrian Mitu	Etienne Terblanche
9	Gabriel Rupanu	Alin Conache
13	Atila Septar	Tevita Manumua

	IN	OUT
1	Jack Iscaro	Payton Telea-Ilalio
2	Kapeli Pifeleti	Shilo Klein
7	Paddy Ryan	Makeen Alikhan
8	Nafi Ma’afu	Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz

 

NOTES

• the Oaks and Eagles have met in each of the last three years, with the visiting team winning on each occasion… in fact among the 8 times they have played since 2000, the home side has won just one game… with the USA claiming six victories in Bucharest
• Romania coach David Gérard has recalled giant lock Andrei Mahu, with fellow France-based professionals Adrian Mitu and Atila Septar also joining the run-on side… at scrumhalf Gabriel Rupanu gets the start in place of Alin Conache
• Septar will pair with Castres midfielder Taylor Gontineac for the first time since February 2023… both are the sons of former Romanian internationals – Erdinci Septar and Romeo Gontineac were teammates at RWC 1999
• Mahu’s return to the starting lineup comes at the expense of Logan Weidner, who has won 6 caps since opting to make the move to Bucharest… Weidner previously represented both Canada and USA at u20 level, and played for Anthem RC and Old Glory DC in Major League Rugby
• Scott Lawrence welcomes Jack Iscaro, Kapeli Pifeleti, and Nafi Ma’afu to the squad this week… the latter’s arrival is timely with Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz ruled out through injury… Ma’afu will make his first test start after winning 5 caps as a replacement
• the only other change to the starting team sees Paddy Ryan recalled at openside flanker with Makeen Alikhan joining Fa’anana-Schultz on the sidelines
• Seattle Seawolves lock Rhyno Herbst and Hartpury University scrumhalf Spencer Huntley are in line for their Eagles debuts… Herbst played Super Rugby with the Lions in South Africa before moving to the US… Huntley is homegrown and captained the USA u20s at this year’s Junior World Championship
• it’s a 6/2 split on the bench for the Eagles, with Sam Golla and Marno Redelinghuys both capable of playing lock or loose forward… there is no conventional openside cover
• three of the match officials will be familiar names to the USA staff… Anthony Woodthorpe, Saba Abulashvili, and Paulo Duarte have each spent time refereeing in Major League Rugby

 

QUOTES

Daniel Plai (Flyhalf)

“We had a very good week of preparation in which we focused on the small details that we lacked in the match against Tonga and I would say that those details made the difference. We looked at the last few matches of the Americans, we know that they have a very solid, very physical defense, but it is more important for us to keep our game plan and be as disciplined as possible.”

“We know that they beat us last year, our desire for revenge is very great. In the last year there have been changes in our team, also in terms of the style of play and the speed of play and I think that these things will be a bonus point for us. All that remains is to demonstrate and emerge victorious from the field.”

Scott Lawrence (Head Coach)

“We’re creating more opportunities in our attacking game, and our focus this week has been on respecting possession, building continuity, and turning pressure into points.”

“Our focus remains on performance today and building a stronger program for tomorrow.”

 

PREDICTION

Cloudy and brisk conditions await at kickoff but the forecast shows little wind. The Eagles have been woeful on attack in recent games, largely opting for a tactical game that has been criticised by some. Romania leaned heavily on their pack against Tonga, with the driving maul producing three tries. Despite the loss the Oaks look in better form, and the short turnaround is a challenge for the Eagles. Expect a close match that the home side will be desperate to win. USA are slight favorites in Bucharest.

 

TEAMS

ROMANIA
1 Iulian Hartig, 2 Tudor Butnariu, 3 Jean-Pierre Smith, 4 Andrei Mahu, 5 Adrian Motoc, 6 Cristi Boboc (capt.), 7 Keanan Murray, 8 Adrian Mitu, 9 Gabriel Rupanu, 10 Daniel Plai, 11 Iliesa Tiqe, 12 Taylor Gontineac, 13 Atila Septar, 14 Nicolas Onutu, 15 Marius Simionescu

Replacements: 16 Adrian Tala, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Gheorghe Gajion, 19 Logan Weidner, 20 Iacopo Bianchi, 21 Alin Conache, 22 Fonovai Tangimana, 23 Tevita Manumua

USA EAGLES
1 Jack Iscaro, 2 Kapeli Pifeleti, 3 Tonga Kofe, 4 Nathan Den Hoedt, 5 Jason Damm (capt.), 6 Ben Bonasso, 7 Paddy Ryan, 8 Nafi Ma’afu, 9 Oscar Lennon, 10 Chris Hilsenbeck, 11 Noah Brown, 12 Dom Besag, 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Rufus McLean, 15 Perry Mayo

Replacements: 16 Kaleb Geiger, 17 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 18 Charlie Abel, 19 Sam Golla, 20 Rhyno Herbst, 21 Marno Redelinghuys, 22 Spencer Huntley, 23 Tom Pittman

 

MATCH INFO

Date: Saturday, November 14
Venue: Stadionul Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Kickoff: 18:30 local (08:30 Pacific, 11:30 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: partly cloudy, 43°F (6°C), wind SW 3-4 mph (5-7 km/h)
Broadcasts: Paramount+ (USA), RugbyPass TV

 

OFFICIALS

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe (England)
Assistants: Saba Abulashvili (Georgia) & Saba Makharadze (Georgia)
TMO: Paulo Duarte (Portugal)

 

HISTORY

HEAD-TO-HEAD (12): USA 9, Romania 3

2025-11-15	Romania	18-26	USA	Bucharest
2024-07-06	USA	20-22	Romania	Chicago
2023-08-05	Romania	17-31	USA	Bucharest
2018-11-17	Romania	5-31	USA	Bucharest
2016-11-12	Romania	23-10	USA	Bucharest
2014-11-08	Romania	17-27	USA	Bucharest
2012-11-24	Romania	3-34	USA	Bucharest