Hats off to the #Romanian rugby team in the #RugbyWorldCup game against Scotland last night.
Losing 84-0, the Tier 2 team looked exhausted, by time the clock struck 80 minutes. When they got possession of the ball all they had to do was kick the ball out of play to end the game. They chose not to. They kept the ball in play and decided to run at the Scots.
Photo: Courtesy of the Romanian Rugby Federation
Instead of ending the game, the Romanians risked conceding another score, as Scotland really wanted to continue playing and score more points to (a) compete against Ireland’s points scored to get to the quarter-finals and (b) create a new Scottish record for most points scored in an RWC match. Despite the risk and the exhaustion, the Romanians never gave up. They kept the ball alive …. 81 minutes, 82 mins… all they had to do was kick the ball out to end the game. They chose not to, once again.
The exhausted heroic Romanian team kept the ball alive and continued to attack the Scottish team despite being 84-0 down – even in the 84th minute. The referee eventually blew his whistle to end the game. The Romanians’ extraordinary courage, bravery and sportsmanship will inspire players everywhere. Never give up. Congratulations to the Romanian squad and the Romanian Rugby Federation.
Incidentally, in RWC 2011, the COMMENT OF THE TOURNAMENT’ came from the, then, Romanian captain, Cristian Petre. After suffering a 67-3 loss to England, he was asked by a reporter about the game and Petre replied “I play rugby for happiness”. The reason we all play.
Let us hope that RWC and the IRB support and invest in Tier 2 teams, like Romania – so they can continue to enhance our sport.
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