Romanian rugby’s Stadionul Arcul de Triumf is currently undergoing major redevelopment work, with completion due by the end of August.

The €36million project has transformed the stadium in Bucharest – home to rugby in Romania since 1913.

Capacity has been raised to 8,270 seats and housed within the sports complex is a 90-room hotel, a medical clinic, a semi-Olympic-sized swimming pool, a museum of rugby, a sports bar and restaurant, and underground parking for 200 vehicles.

“I think in 3-4 months, maximum, it will be ready,” said Alin Petrache, the Federația Romana de Rugby (FRR) president.

“It’s not so big, but it is wonderfully compact and very chic. It has everything you need and is very close to the city centre.”

The Stadionul Arc de Triumf was due to be used as a training centre for football’s Euro 2020 until the tournament was postponed, but rugby is the sport the state-owned venue has long been associated with.

A home to be proud of

The stadium, then at half its new capacity, successfully hosted World Rugby U20 Trophy 2018 and the FRR have put forward their candidature to do likewise in 2022.

“It is our home, and it is our heart,” said Petrache. “We have played rugby on that pitch for 107 years, and we have run the administration of the stadium for the last 49 years.”

Plans to christen the new stadium with a traditional fixture against the French Barbarians were shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Petrache, a former Romanian international with 31 caps to his name, says they are proposing to mark the official opening by hosting Belgium in a rearranged Rugby Europe Championship fixture on 7 November.

The game was originally scheduled for the middle of March until the pandemic caused the last round of the championship to be postponed.

Young blood

Petrache is keen for games to take place as soon as possible, not only to showcase the new facilities at the Stadionul Arc de Triumf but to also give the national team time to prepare before the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifiers.

“The problem with this pandemic is we have lost some games. The young players that Andy (Robinson, head coach) started to blood earlier this year need more games to gain experience before the Rugby Europe Championship starts again in February. Those games are World Cup qualifiers,” said Petrache, who experienced Rugby World Cup as a player in 1999.

Romania turned to former England coach Robinson at the end of last year, and fellow back-row Petrache is delighted to have him on board.

“It was a very good decision made by the Union to take Andy for the four-year World Cup cycle. We have good stability now with Andy, it’s what we have been missing,” he admitted.

Romania missed out on Rugby World Cup 2019 after falling foul of player eligibility rules, but Petrache is banking on the Oaks being at the next tournament in France, where he once played club rugby for Racing 92 under the coaching of Jacques Fouroux.

“We want to qualify directly, it is very good for Europe we have two places, first and second in the Rugby Europe Championship,” he said.

“It was very difficult for me to watch the last World Cup, but we are looking forward now. That was then, this is 2020, and we’re preparing for qualification.

“We have a new stadium and a new team, so everything is new now.”

Read our interview with Andy Robinson ahead of this year's Rugby Europe Championship >>