Romania's search for wingers

By November last year, Romania were in desperate straights regarding the wing position. Several were tried and amongst them were some largely forgettable players. Will the emergence of Ionut Dumitru and return of Madalin Lemnaru see the Oaks problems come to an end?

2012 saw somewhat of rise to prominence for Romanian wing Madalin Lemnaru. He looked generally busy throughout the year and notably scored some with some cracking individual efforts against Portugal and Uruguay, and over the course of the year Lemnaru had nailed down a pretty certain place in the starting XV starting every game.

Video: Lemnaru's individual counter attacking try vs Uruguay

However on the other wing coach Hari Dumitras went through 5 different wingers, none of whom were particularly impressive aside from Catalin Fercu who unfortunately for the Oaks can't play both wing as well as his preferred full back position at the same time, meaning that it was a largely unsettled position.

Then horrible misfortune struck, Lemnaru just as he was getting some momentum to his international career suffered a serious injury that ruled him out of action for a year. That meant poor Fercu at full back, ever the lone force of an attacking backline threat, had lost his main support and now both wing positions had huge question marks hanging over them.

For wingers in Romania though, it meant that there would be chances to prove themselves. With the Oaks wingers rarely getting much ball other than scraps, they weren't expected to be a match winner but just a solid enough winger who would be passable, that would have probably been adequate enough to get a starting position.

Unfortunately though, we saw exactly how shallow the pool of talent in that position is for Romania. By June, Lynn Howells had started 7 different players in the position, many struggling to be meet merely adequacy and costing the Oaks tries on occasions.

What summed up quite how desperate the situation got was when Stephen Hihetah, an Englishman of Romanian descent who got fast tracked into the starting lineup after he alerted coaches of his eligibility at a Sevens tournament.

Stephen Hihetah went from
National Division 2 South to
facing Tonga a few months later.

With all due respect to Hihetah, but when a national team ranked in the top 18 in the world and solid World Cup qualifiers with ambitions to win games at the tournament call up a player who 1) isn't really Romanian or gone through their system, 2) spent the previous season playing in the 4th tier of English rugby with Barking in National Division 2 South, and 3) is selected on the basis of a few run outs for Romania in a Sevens tournament and is then backed to start in games against strong opposition such as Tonga, then you know that it is a major problem position.

There would be few other recent instances where a top 18 has been forced to go digging quite so deep down as the 4th tier of English rugby at the event of just one injury. Romania's November opposition were fielding the players like of Napolioni Nalaga, Jeff Hassler or Fetu'u Vainikolo all of who have held good careers with Heineken Cup teams, whilst the Oaks were fielding a player from National Division 2 South dug out from nowhere and who the coaches wasn't even on the coaches radar a few months back. That it took a player from Barking to merely inform coaches of his eligibility and a runabout in 7's to gain a starting place in the side, the credibility of the wingers that the Romanian system is producing took a slap in the face.

Anyway by November when Hihetah was backed to start against Tonga, he did indeed look a bit out of his depth and although little came his way he got defensive frailties exposed for the Tongan try much like previous incumbents of the wing position also had done previously.

In the same game though young Ionut Dumitru of Steaua with who he was the SuperLiga's leading try scorer fully emerged on the international scene, he scarcely touched the ball (Romanian wingers tend not to), but was solid enough when it came his way and notably did some fine covering work in a game as part of the Romanian defensive effort, and backed it up the following week with a solid performance against Canada.

Video: Dumitru's cover tackle on Tongan wing Will Helu

With the lack of talent in the position, Dumitru pretty much won himself a starting spot there and then, and his performances last November would have been a welcome relief to Lynn Howells. The winger has continued to score prolifically in the SuperLiga, often scored with a Chris Ashton style dive.

Dumitru is only 21 so that was one problem position solidified, all that needed to happen was for Lemnaru to return and Romania would have a lack of depth but at least a decent pair of front line wingers.

It hasn't quite worked out quite that well though. Both can be pretty sure of their place in the side through lack of options, but after coming back from breaking his achilles tendon Lemnaru has lacked a little of the spark he had in 2012, and at a sold out Mikheil Meskhi Stadium neither he nor Dumitru (who had scored 3 tries earlier in the tournament) looked very comfortable in the kicking battles. Fercu again was forced to fight valiantly as a lone force in a poorly functioning back three unit.

GIF: Dumitru and Lemnaru didn't look entirely
comfortable during the ENC final away to Georgia

Still, the situation looks easily more positive and less desperate than it did 12 months ago. Lemnaru on slightly lesser form and Dumitru who as of yet hasn't really got much involved and offered much attacking threat in games where Romania aren't winning by 30 odd points, still offers far more than the ENC 2013 partnership of Adrian Apostol and Mihai Rosca. It will be interesting to see in the IRB Nations Cup, whether Howells will continue with his frontline wingers or continue searching to find some trustworthy back up.

---

Wing problems: Romania worked their way through a number of different wingers over 2012 and 2013. Expectations were not high for the wingers,  and on several occasions opposition exploited defensive frailties out wide then the coaches would move onto another winger.

Ionut Botezatu vs USA
Missed a tackle with a pretty weak attempt on Andrew Suniula which gave the USA their first try during the match in Bucharest in 2012. Botezatu was subsequently discarded following Dumitras’ sacking, his only cap under Howells came as a substitute during a midweek IRB Nations Cup game.

Adrian Apostol vs Russia
A simple missed one on one tackle on Dimitri Gerasimov saw Russia gain a surprise lead away from home against the Oaks in the ENC match of February 2013, one of the only halves of rugby the Bears have won against a top 18 side under Kingsley Jones. Apostol was persevered with for the remainder of the ENC but was dropped afterwards and hasn't won a cap since.

Stephen Hihetah vs Tonga
After getting caught out for positionally earlier on in the match, where getting caught too narrow saw Tonga break down the right but for Dumitru to cover across and save the try, Hihetah's missed tackle on Vunga Lilo after chasing a kick led to a try. Was dropped for the next match and didn't make the ENC squad altogether.