CSA Steaua București (rugby union)

This article is about the rugby club. For the sports club, see CSA Steaua București.

CSA Steaua București is a professional Romanian rugby union club from Ghencea, south-west Bucharest, which plays in the Liga Națională de Rugby, the first division of Romanian rugby. They are the most successful rugby union team in the Romania with 24 championship titles and 15 cup titles to their name. Steaua București`s annual operating budget is approximately 1,925,000 Euros.^[1]

Steaua București

Full name	Clubul Sportiv al Armatei Steaua București
Nickname(s)	Steliștii Roș-albaștrii (The Blue and Reds) Militarii (The Militaries)
Founded	1948; 77 years ago (1948) as CSCA București
Location	Bucharest, Romania
Ground(s)	Stadionul Steaua (Capacity: 31,254)
President	Ștefan Răzvan Bichir
Coach(es)	Viorel Lucaci
Captain(s)	Dragoș Ser
League(s)	Liga Națională de Rugby
2022	2nd
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.csasteaua.ro/jocuri-sportive/rugby/

History

Steaua the champions of Romania in 1963

The Steaua București rugby club was founded in 1948, under the wing of the CSA Steaua București sports club that had been founded by the Romanian Army the previous year, and had traditionally consisted of members drawn from ranks of the army, hence their nickname, the military men.^[2]

Steaua established crosstown rivalries with Dinamo București and Grivița Roșie București before winning the team's first Romanian Cup in 1950. The team won the league and cup double in 1953, and by the late 1950s, Steaua was winning domestic titles with regularity. Over the years, the team has also claimed success at the European Championships, winning two European Cups.^[2]

Over the years, Steaua București has produced several players that have represented the Romanian national rugby team including Daniel Barbu, Marin Ionescu, Alexandru Penciu, Rene Chiriac, Paul Ciobănel, Adrian Mateescu, Mircea Braga, and Răducu Durbac.^[2]

Honours

Domestic

• Liga Națională de Rugby:
  • Winners (24) (record): 1949, 1953, 1954, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006
  • Runners-up (13): 1955, 1956, 1960, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2018–19, 2021, 2022
• Liga Națională de Rugby: (in 7 players)
  • Winners (13) (record)
• Cupa României
  • Winners (16) (record): 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1974, 1977, 1978, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2022
  • Runners-up (5): 1954, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015
• Cupa Regelui:
  • Runners-up (2): 2016, 2018

Players of CSA Steaua and Timișoara Saracens seen engaged within a scrum in a match during the 2016–17 SuperLiga in April 2017.

European

• FIRA European Cup
  • Winners (2): 1966, 1973^[2]

Current squad

Steaua București Liga Națională de Rugby squad
Props Davit Abashidze Ramón Ayarza Vasile Balan Ionuț Pîrvu Matías Vidal Hookers Tudor Butnariu (c) George Ilincuță Locks Tornike Akubardia Bogdan Doroftei Damian Strătilă Matthew Tweddle	Back row Cristi Boboc David Dinescu Ionuț Donici Andi Radu Ionuț Tudor Scrum-halves Alin Conache Amos Cornelius Cristian Nedelcu Fly-halves Édouard Carp Matías Frutos Ioan Nichitean Taniela Rawaqa*	Centres Pablo Casas Tomás Ferreyra Melle Haanstra Isaak Welch Wings Ionuț Dumitru Rafael Florea-Jilaveanu Cosmin Iliuță Fullbacks Robert Neagu Siba Xamlashe
(c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Romania on residency or dual nationality.

See also

• Rugby union in Romania