Rugby 2014: USA vs Romania Live Stream, Preview & Predictions for Saturday Match
On Saturday, rugby teams of USA and Romania will face each other at the Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest for a test game.
The International Business Times said that the team of coach Mike Tolkin will try to battle Romania, the team which they beat two years ago also in Bucharest. But this time, the U.S. team would need to work doubly hard, considering the fact that the New Zealand All Blacks gave them a devastating defeat last week.
This previous match reportedly "fell outside" of the International Rugby Board's November window, disabling the Eagles to release its players. The International Business Times said that this means Tolkin will play on Saturday and in upcoming matches with Tonga and Fiji without his top players.
"It's a big ask to begin with but to lose 25 percent at the top end of your team would be really challenging and I think it would lessen the spectacle significantly. So I think it was really important to get those guys," he said in the International Business Times article.
Todd Clever will reportedly remain for Saturday's game while Danny Barrett will not participate because of a fractured metacarpal. Despite the lack of players, the Romanian team should still anticipate a strong performance from the Americans since they are trying to recover from a recent loss.
In a similar article by Goff Rugby Report, Tolkin said they need forward players for their upcoming game.
"So the challenge is before them and they are up for it. The guys from Saturday are looking forward to a more competitive match. After a physical game up front [against the All Blacks] and more to come, we felt that having the extra forward on the bench was prudent. It is unlucky for Tim [Maupin] as Roland can cover a few more positions, which is important this week," he added.
But team USA's opponent will surely not go home without giving them a good fight as the International Business Times noted that coach Lynn Howells will prepare his team to do its best. Howells has already led Romania to runner-up victories at the European Nations Cup for the past two years.
In an interview with The Guardian, Howells said he feels the challenge going against international teams but expressed confidence that Romania will do well against them.
"We've recently beaten Tonga and Canada and I think we'll surprise a few people at the World Cup. Our big goal is to win two games, which would mean automatic qualification for the 2019 competition - that would be huge for Romania," he added.
It will surely be an exciting game to watch out for though it is just a test match since both teams are eager to prove something to their fans and to the world. The game will start at 11:30 a.m. EST and live streaming can be accessed through RugbyTV.