President Alexandru Ilie Location Timișoara, Romania Founded 1949 | 2015 1st (Champions) League SuperLiga | |
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Full name Timișoara Saracens Rugby Club Municipal Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara Coach(es) Grainger Heikell
Sosene Anesi Grounds Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu, Stadion Gheorghe Rascanu | ||
Timișoara Saracens RCM UVT is a Romanian professional rugby union club from Timișoara, which plays in the SuperLiga CEC Bank, the first division of Romanian rugby. The team first won the championship in 1972, becoming the first club outside Bucharest to achieve this performance. The team is colloquially known as "Universitatea" Timișoara as it has historical ties with the University of Timișoara. Grainger Heikell is the current head coach of Timișoara Saracens. Since 2014 the club is a partner of London-based Saracens rugby club.
Contents
History
In October 1949, CSUT (Club Sportiv Universitar Timișoara) played its first match in the city of Sighişoara against the local team, match that was won by CSUT with 34–0, the team from Timișoara having the following line-up: Liteanu, Antonescu, Popa, Nistor, Haller, Onciul, Zomborian, Georgescu (player-coach), Dăncescu, Gurti, Kalincov, Barla, Baruch, Balios, Melinte.
Name change and first National title
Starting with the year 1966 the team changes its name from CSUT to Universitatea Timișoara; Mitică Antonescu was in charge of the team at that point. The year 1966 in the start of the ascension for the team from Timișoara. In the 1968–69 championship the team occupies 5th place, in the 1969–70 championship the 3ed place, in the 1970–71 championship the 5th place and in the 1971–72 championship, Universitatea Timișoara – after 58 years of supremacy from the teams from Bucharest – manages to bring the national title to Timișoara.
It is said that on 12 June 1972 (the day the team won the national title) the bells of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Timișoara rang one time more than usual, and on the second day at the gate of the boarding house where the majority of the rugby players of Universitatea Timișoara were living, on a board the following could be read:: “Trecătorule, oprește-te un moment și înclină-te în fața ușii caminului unde trăiesc perlele rugby-ului românesc (translation: Passer-by, stop for a moment and kneel in front of the door of the boarding house where the pearls of Romanian rugby are living)”, the author of it being, at that time student, Nicolae Benga. Here are the artisans of this beautiful achievement: Duţă, Szasz, Cândrea, Peter, Suciu, Gheţu, Iacob, Ceauş, Tătucu, Nedelcu, Vollman, Rășcanu, Priess, Ionică, Ene, Malancu, Neiss, Popovici, Vlad, Ioniţă, Arsene.
Since that time, Timișoara was always places among the runners-up of the national standings, promoting student rugby.
New Coach
Starting 23 January 2012, the team got a new coach in the image of none other than the famous South African ex-rugby player, Chester Williams. Williams, who was nicknamed "The Black Pearl" back in his active years as a player, was the only non-white player who won the 1995 Rugby World Cup. This is his second attempt into the world of Romanian rugby, his first being as the technical director for the rugby team of Dinamo Bucureşti. He was close to taking over the bench of Timișoara in the summer of 2011, but negotiations were put to a hold because of the World Cup that was taking place in New Zealand.
In 2014, former New Zealand Heartland XV coach Grainger Heikell took over from Danie de Villiers as head coach of Timișoara Saracens.
3rd place in Superliga (2011)
After losing 22–24 to CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare in the semifinals of the Romanian Rugby Championship, the team from Timișoara won the match for 3rd place against Farul Constanţa (15–11). Valentin Calafeteanu was the MVP of the game.
Romania Cup (2011 and 2014)
RCM Timișoara won the Romania Cup, after a 32–10 victory against CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare. The match took place in the city of Alba Iulia, on Cetate Stadium. Timișoara Saracens took back the Romania Cup in 2014 with a victory over CSM Stiinţa Baia-Mare at Cluj Arena
Achievements
Current squad
2016