The Romanian squad had been in the Carpathian Mountains training intensely since the beginning of August, but barely a word had been printed in the Romanian sports media.
However, towards the end of the month and with their South Pacific adventure fast approaching, all of a sudden the phones rang off the hook at the Arcul de Triumf National Stadium, the FRR’s headquarters in Bucharest.
Was the impending decision on the make-up of Ellis Meachen's 30-man squad finally attracting attention? Or was it the gruelling fitness programme devised and implemented by former All Black prop Steve McDowell, now Romania’s fitness guru?
No. It was all garbage. Literally. The Romanian team spent one afternoon picking up litter on one of the most beautiful tourist routes in the mountains, between Babele in the Bucegi mountains and the Piatra Arsa chalet, where the squad was stationed during their five-week build-up.
The players, coaches and team management collected over 100 kilos of waste, cardboard, cans, plastic bottles and rubbish, which they handed over to the local agency, prompting a wave of media enthusiasm in which the ethical values of the Game were mentioned ad nauseam.
‘Good on you Romania rugby’ was the headline in one local newspaper. Good on you Ellis Meachen and the team.
Meachen's masterplan
Meachen is a canny operator. The 48-year old former Western Suburbs and Wellington hooker, who has also been involved with Tongan rugby, knows full well that these kind of outings – whether it’s litter-picking in the Bucegi or giant-taming in the Pacific – provide two things: a catalyst for developing Romania’s home grown talent and also precisely the kind of team-building required to provide the solid foundation on which to sculpt his qualifying programme for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
“The tour of New Zealand and the Pacific will be invaluable for our RWC qualifying programme, which will kick off in February next year, “ Meachen said.
“We will be squaring off against the Georgians, Russia, Spain, Germany and Portugal for a spot in Rugby World Cup, which is not an easy task at all, so this tour will provide an excellent stepping stone for our players leading into the challenges that we face next season.
“On the other hand, we also need to inject pace and quality into the revival process the game has been experiencing lately in Romania. To a large extent Romanian Rugby shares the fate of the Pacific rugby nations, whose best players are lured abroad, effectively draining the talent out of our domestic structure.
“So basically, with many of Romania’s leading players abroad, we intend to intensify our domestic development programme to strengthen our player base. This is why we have so many young players in the team, with only one player from France, and that one very much a newcomer at international level,” he added.
With these two priorities in mind, Meachen is also committed to rebuilding the character of the team, re-injecting the traditional virtues of pride, integrity and respect, which formed the fabric of the game in the country since time immemorial, but had been eroded in the aftermath of the collapse of communism.
If some of the players grumbled at the beginning of their mountainside exploits, they all seemed to see the light by the end of a tiring but satisfying day, which brought them closer together. Proud of their achievement, the players have issued a challenge to their fellow Romanian international handball, football, basketball and ice hockey players to join them in this crusade against litter and wanton destruction of the countryside.
Meachen and McDowell set down roots
Having become the first ever foreign coach to take permanent residence in Romania for the duration of his contract, Ellis Meachen has now received the full support of another full time employee of the FRR, former World Champion All Black Steve Mcdowall, whose family has also joined him in Bucharest for the duration of his contract.
“His experience in close quarter rugby, particularly in the ‘engine room’, will be of an enormous benefit to this programme,” Meachen said.
The other three members of this high-powered team are New Zealander and former Hurricanes and Highlanders backs coach Murray Roulston, former Romanian international hooker Marin Mot and his backs counterpart, former international wing Alexandru Marin.
The youngest of the 30-strong squad is 19-year-old Dinamo Bucharest prop Constantin Dumitru, one of nine uncapped players. Several players from the Under 20 team who played in the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Chile are also included, as well as Farul Constanta’s most recent signings New Zealanders Zane Winsdale and Ben Aoina plus Samoan speedster Jeff Lapana Makapelu, a remarkable departure from past tradition.
The only France-based player is 21-year-old Marius Sirbe, who has not yet played for the senior professional team at Narbonne.
“We are still at the foot of the mountain, having taken a few steps towards the summit but we know where the top is and what is the standard required to be there,” said Meachen.
“This is why we go Down Under. We also hope that this tour will build and strengthen the relations between Romania and the Pacific Unions, which is important for all involved as really we are aiming for the same thing, and that is the RWC in 2011.”
Romania's tour of the Pacific gets underway tomorrow in New Zealand against a Marist XV and ends in Fiji on 27 September.
Romania tour matches
6 September : Marist - Romania XV
9 September : Auckland Development - Romania XV
13 September : Waikato - Romania XV
20 September : Samoa A - Romania A
27 September : Fiji A - Romania A
