Romania lost against Spain in the minor final of the Rugby Europe Championship 2026 » Portugal won the competition
Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published on Sunday, 15 March 2026 23:42 / Updated on Sunday, 15 March 2026 23:51
The Romanian men's national team was defeated by Spain 29-23 (3-11) in the battle for bronze in the Rugby Europe Championship 2026, a match in which Portugal won.
The “Oaks” contested the small final of the Rugby Europe Championship 2026, they met Spain away at the Estadio Municipal Butarque in Leganes.
The Romanians started the game well, managing to enter the booths with a score of 11-3, thanks to the penalty kick converted by Alin Conache (13), the successful essay by Damian Bonaparte (28) and the drop goal by Daniel Plai (36).
Luciano Richardis Gutierrez was the lone scorer for the home side from a converted penalty kick in the 38th minute.
The second half was a different story, with Spain managing to turn the score around. He scored four tries, through Alejandro Laforga Castro (51), Alex Saleta Atorrasagasti (59), Raphael Alexandre Sauveur Nieto (65), Alberto Carmona Molina (70), of which the first three were converted by Richardis.
For Romania, in the second half only Alin Conache managed to score points, thanks to the converted penalty kicks in the 44th, 56th, 68th and 75th minutes. The game ended with a score of 29-23, recording the third triumph of the Iberians in the last four games played against the “oaks”.
42 matchesRomania and Spain played, the “oaks” winning 35
Romania also played in the minor final of the competition last season, beating Portugal 21-7 away.
This year, in the groups, Romania had a record of one win and two losses, passing Belgium 23-6 and being defeated by Germany 30-24 and Portugal 44-7.
In the semifinals, Romania was defeated by Georgia 53-30 in Tbilisi, while Spain was defeated by Portugal 26-7 in Lisbon.
Portugal produced the surprise against Georgia
In the grand final, also played in Leganes, Portugal produced a surprise, defeating Georgia 19-17.
🇵🇹 2026 Rugby Europe Champions!!! pic.twitter.com/8JSD7Zsh7U
— Rugby Europe (@rugby_europe) March 15, 2026
Georgia, champions of the competition since 2018, were unbeaten in 44 matches, a streak that began after an 8-7 loss to Romania on March 19, 2017. In the history of the competition, including previous formats, 18 of the last 22 titles have been won by Georgia, a team now in the midst of a doping scandal.
