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Home stadium: Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Nickname: The Oaks
Number of rugby players in the country: 7,150
National rugby website address: www.frr.ro
Current national champions: Steua Bucharest beat Contor Zenner Arad 26-9 in the final of the last championship.
Strengths: Romanians run a special line in exporting forwards to the French Top 14, and always present a physical challenge up front, as Ireland recently found out in 2005 when they were held in check for a while by the Oaks.
Weaknesses: They really don't have much of a backline. At all.
History in the tournament: 1987 eliminated at pool stages, played three won one. 1991 eliminated at pool stages, played three won one. 1995 eliminated at pool stages, played three won none. 1999 eliminated at pool stages, played three won one. 2003 eliminated at pool stages, played four won one.
Prediction for this tournament: Possible dark horses? New Zealand ought to blow the Oaks down, but Scotland and Italy could be vulnerable on off-days, and Portugal should be too weak for a full-strength Romania. Quarter-final an outside possibility, but unlikely.
Coach: Daniel Santamans couldn't have a better CV having been an assistant to volatile Toulouse coaching legend Guy Noves for two years and is an excellent coach of the scrum. One of a number of Frenchmen to have run the national side in a succession of years but really faces a thankless task and rather like coaches of the Asian football sides most likely faces the red card once the tournament is over. He has been in charge since 2004 and has been responsible for the second largest win of the country's history - a 97-0 thrashing of Ukraine though not outstripping the 100-0 defeat of Bulgaria in 1976.
Key player: Beefy number eight Ovidiu Tonita, a shoe-in in Perpignan's back row in the Top 14, has been capped 37 times for Romania. His bulky frame has helped his side clear out rucks and turn-over many a ball against top opposition. The Oaks supporters like to call him the John Eales of Romanian rugby. Tonita is a tall, powerful and highly-skilled forward. He is known for his ferocity and is not adverse to mixing it with his opponents. The 26-year-old powerhouse, who used to play for Biarritz in France, is also able to play at flank.
Captain: Sorin Socol has played in France for 11 years, seven of those for Brive and four for Agen before signing up for Pau and was part of the squad for the 2003 World Cup where he captained Romania for the first time against Namibia. The lock made his international debut against Spain in 2001 and has won over 30 caps for the Oaks since then. Socol led the side to victories over Italy A and Namibia in the IRB Nations Cup in 2007.
Rising star: Dan Vlad is a versatile player for the Romanians and can be seen at inside or outside centre and sometimes on the wing. He has a mighty boot on him too that has often led to the Oaks opting for penalty shots from a long way out. Still keen to stamp his authority in the starting line-up, Romania would have a better advantage every time they field this 24-year old.
Team Nemesis: They like to play France, as the two countries have quite a history, with the French donating much manpower to Romania's development. However, since 1990, when Romania famoulsy beat France 12-6 in Agen, the collapse of the Ceaucescu dictatorship has diluted the national game. Meantime, Georgia have become close rivals of the Oaks, with Romania winning a World Cup qualifier, but Georgia snaffling a European Nations Cup tie in Bucharest last March. Of the teams in their pool this time, they have only played Scotland before.
Likely headlines: 'Christmas comes early to Santamans', 'Oaks barrelled out of Toulouse', Romanian scrum loses Balan's weight'
Price of a pint: A delightful E0.50
Rugby player/sheep ratio: 1:1,259
