Romania are one step closer to qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
On Sunday, Romania's rugby team made one big step towards qualifying for the 2019 World Cup. They won the 2017 edition of Rugby Europe Championship after defeating the powerful Georgian side 8-7 in their final match of the season. Both teams had amassed 19 points, but Romania was declared the winner because they had won their face-to-face match with Georgia.
The win against Georgia is a great achievement on many accounts. First of all, because Romania hadn't won a match against Georgia in 7 years. Secondly, the win was a boost in the team's morale after a disastrous start to the season. We recall that a month ago, Romania lost to Germany for the first time since before World War II. Thirdly and most importantly, thanks to their victory against Georgia, Romania are now only 6 points behind Spain, their main rival for a direct World Cup qualification.
The aggregate points of the 2017 and 2018 editions of Rugby Europe Championship are used as a criterion for the qualification for the 2019 World Cup hosted by Japan. If they rank first, Romania are sure to qualify. They can also qualify if they finish second provided Georgia finish first, given the latter already qualified following their performance at the World Cup in England. If they rank third, Romania have to win a playoff qualifier against the third-placed team in the Pacific Tri-Nations competition between Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, three very powerful sides. If they lose this match, Romania will have to play in a requalification event, alongside a team from America, one from Africa and another from Asia or Oceania.
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