No Amateurism In Rumania

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 7

No Amateurism In Rumania

France is regarded as a worthy opponent by the main Rugby playing nations and it must come as a surprise to know that this year France beat Rumania for the first time since 1957. Rumania is the leading European Rugby nation, apart from France, and critics have said that if Rumania was allowed to compete in the international championships it would be dominant within four years.

The Rumanians are zealous students of the game and their forward play was described by one French international as harder than that of the Springboks. At present France regards the Rumanian match as far more important than 0 the Welsh game—the one that France always has wanted to win. However, Rumania is not regarded with the greatest favour by the International Rugby

Board and it is unlikely that Rumania ever will be admitted to matches under the aegis of the board.

In order to conform with the principle of amateurism in Rugby, the board has fixed two days as the earliest date which an international team can be brought together. Apparently Rumania takes no notice of this law. A fortnight before it played France it played against Germany. In between the two games it had a trial and then the top 20 Rumanian players lived together for nearly a fortnight

Basically it could be said that the Rumanians do not differentiate between the amateur and the professional code. This alone will stop them from ever becoming a member of the tight brigade of the present international Rugby countries.