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RC Grivița București is a Romanian rugby union club currently playing in the Liga Națională de Rugby. They have won the Liga Națională de Rugby 12 times and the European Rugby Champions Cup in 1964.

History

Grivița Rugby Club is a Romanian rugby team with a storied history spanning over 80 years. It holds a prominent place among the most distinguished rugby teams in Romanian history. Throughout its existence, the club has been associated with some of the most illustrious figures in Romanian rugby, including renowned players such as Gheorghe Pârcălăbescu, Constantin Titi Cocor, Dumitru "Bombi" Zamfir, Viorel Morariu, Mihai Wusek, Mihai Tibuleac, Valeriu Irimescu, Costel Stănescu, Radu Demian, Constantin Dinu, Cornel Scarlat, and many other luminaries who have significantly contributed to the sport's growth in Romania. Notably, these players often formed the nucleus of the Romanian national rugby team during its periods of prominence.

Founded in 1932 under the initial name of CFR, the club embarked on a series of nomenclatural changes. By 1950, it evolved into Locomotiva–CFR, a name that underwent further streamlining to Locomotiva in 1955. A subsequent renaming in 1957 led to the appellation Locomotiva–Grivița Roșie. This nomenclatural journey persisted from 1958 to 1960 when the team competed under the designation CFR–Grivița Roșie. Ultimately, from 1962 onward, the club embraced the more succinct title of Grivița Roșie. Following the transformative events of the 1989 Revolution, the appellation was further refined, resulting in the adoption of Grivița as the club's name.

The club's administrative operations and home matches have been centered at Stadionul Parcul Copilului in Bucharest since 1953. This stadium also serves as the club's primary venue for its fixtures.

The transition to professionalism in the realm of rugby had a discernible impact on the club's trajectory, leading to a phase characterized by performance setbacks. This culminated in the club's relegation to lower-tier leagues, where it spent a duration of ten years. Despite these challenges, Grivița remains entrenched as the third most decorated Romanian rugby outfit, trailing behind the more heralded Steaua and Dinamo București.

In a significant development in 2022, coinciding with an expansion of the elite tier, Grivița achieved a notable resurgence as it secured its reentry into the prestigious Liga Națională (National League). For the top-tier matches the club uses Stadionul Arcul de Triumf.

Honours

• European Rugby Champions Cup
  • Winners (1): 1964
  • Runners-up (1): 1962
• Liga Națională de Rugby:
  • Winners (12): 1948, 1950, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1969–70, 1992–93
• Cupa României
  • Winners (5): 1947, 1948, 1982, 1984, 1985

Current squad

In the 2022 edition of the Liga Națională de Rugby, the current squad is as follows:

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Radian Dima Prop Romania Cătălin Oancea Prop Romania Petre Mihaiuc Prop Romania Vasile Șeicaru Prop Romania Marian Forminte Prop Romania Andrei Iacob Hooker Romania Alexandru Oancea Hooker Romania Sorin Iancu Lock Romania Claudiu Podoleanu Lock Romania George Antonescu Lock Romania Andrei Dănilă Flanker Romania Vasilică Mercone Flanker Romania Răzvan Pașnicu Flanker Romania Damian Ispas (c) Back row Romania

Player Position Union Ștefan Pătrașcu Fly-half Romania Lombard Vincent Fly-half France Andrei Șerban Scrum-half Romania Robert Constantin Scrum-half Romania Mihai Cernean Scrum-half Romania Cătălin Neacșu Centre Romania Richard Plopeanu Centre Romania Silviu Mircea Wing Romania Marius Ioana Wing Romania Ionuț Latu Wing Romania Bogdan Iacovache Fullback Romania Alexandru Mircea Fullback Romania Florin Iancu Fullback Romania

References

1. Grivita Rosie phenomenon and the degrading of a legendary club Archived 2016-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, 1923.ro. Retrieved on 10 May 2022.
2. https://1923.ro/2015/12/fenomenul-grivita-rosie-degradarea-unui-club-legendar/ Archived 2016-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
3. RC Grivita squad composition, Rugby Romania. Retrieved on 10 May 2022.

External links

• Liga Nationala de Rugby link

• Rugby union teams in Romania