Ireland vs. Romania: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup Game
Ireland take on Romania this Sunday in the hopes of maintaining their pristine start to the Rugby World Cup 2015, while the Oaks are looking to recover from their opening defeat to France.
Joe Schmidt's men are gradually building toward their clutch pool clash against Les Bleus on October 11, and the Ireland coach has made no fewer than 12 changes from the side that drilled Canada 50-7.
However, Romania may not be the pushovers some would suggest considering the 728 caps boasted by Lynn Howells' side this Sunday will be a record-breaking sum for the Pool D minnows.
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France may have run in an impressive five tries against Romania in midweek, but it's important to note three of those tries came in the final 15 minutes.
Schmidt's altered XV will seek to recapture the same free-flowing back play that led them to a dominant display against the Canadians, but there's a chance too much change may be detrimental to the team.
Read on as we break down all the vital viewing information and offer a match preview for Sunday's Pool D collision, complete with form and betting guides.
Date: Sunday, September 27
Time: 4:45 p.m. BST/11:45 a.m. ET/(Monday, Sept. 28) 1:45 a.m. AEST/3:45 a.m. NZST
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), Universal Sports (US), Fox Sports (AUS), Sky Go (NZ), SuperSport (SA)
TV Info: ITV (UK), Fox Sports 2 (AUS), Sky Sport 1 (NZ), SuperSport 1 (SA)
Team Lineups
Ireland: 15. Simon Zebo, 14. Tommy Bowe, 13. Jared Payne, 12. Darren Cave, 11. Keith Earls, 10. Ian Madigan, 9. Eoin Reddan, 8. Jamie Heaslip (C), 7. Chris Henry, 6. Jordi Murphy, 5. Devin Toner, 4. Donnacha Ryan, 3. Nathan White, 2. Richardt Strauss, 1. Cian Healy
Romania: 15. Catalin Fercu, 14. Adrian Apostol, 13. Paula Kinikinilau, 12. Csaba Gal, 11. Ionut Botezatu, 10. Michael Wiringi, 9. Valentin Calafeteanu, 8. Daniel Carpo, 7. Mihai Macovei (C), 6. Viorel Lucaci, 5. Ovidiu Tonita, 4. Valentin Poparlan, 3. Paulica Ion, 2. Andrei Radoi, 1. Andrei Ursache
| September 19, 2015 | Canada 7-50 Ireland |
| September 5, 2015 | England 21-13 Ireland |
| August 29, 2015 | Ireland 10-16 Wales |
| August 15, 2015 | Ireland 28-22 Scotland |
| August 8, 2015 | Wales 21-35 Ireland |
| September 23, 2015 | France 38-11 Romania |
| September 5, 2015 | Romania 16-21 Tonga |
| June 17, 2015 | Romania 43-3 Namibia |
| June 12, 2015 | Romania 35-9 Spain |
| March 21, 2015 | Romania 6-15 Georgia |
Players to Watch
Jordi Murphy
Ireland are fortunate to boast a pool of flanker resources so deep that only now is Jordi Murphy getting a real sniff at Schmidt's XV alongside Chris Henry and stand-in captain Jamie Heaslip in the back row.
The Leinster star is a terrific talent in his own right, but the presence of Peter O'Mahony and Sean O'Brien means his chances are limited as far as the starting XV goes.
Nevertheless, Murphy makes his World Cup debut on Sunday with the aim of preventing the Oaks from gaining a foothold in the fixture. He recently told Murray Kinsella of The 42 how excited he is to get going:
"I’m obviously raring to go. It’s kind of tough watching the lads play and obviously it was a great result (against Canada) and they played very well. It’s one of those things, only 23 can play on the day and it’s a 31-man squad. Hopefully if I get a run this weekend or sometime soon, I’ll take it with both hands.
"
Murphy may not boast the imperious frame of club team-mate O'Brien or the dogged qualities of blindside O'Mahony, but there's no doubting his blend of fierce breakdown skills and impressive carrying.
The nature of the opposition naturally means any outstanding Irish displays are likely to be taken with a pinch of salt, but that isn't likely to stop Murphy from excelling in a rare starting chance.
| Ireland Win | 1-500 |
| Draw | 66-1 |
| Romania Win | 50-1 |
| Anytime Tryscorer: Jamie Heaslip | Evens |
Catalin Fercu
As one of the most internationally experienced figures in Howells' squad at this World Cup, full-back Catalin Fercu, owner of 81 caps, will again serve as a leader for Romania come Sunday.
The 29-year-old looked like one of the few bright sparks for his team during the defeat to France last week, and he comes into the competition after being named Player of the Tournament at the Nations Cup, per Eat Sleep Rugby:
"Congrats to Saracens’ Cătălin Fercu was named Man of the tournament in the 10th World Rugby Nations Cup. pic.twitter.com/iRGBZCEtc8
— EatSleepRugby (@eatsleeprugby) June 23, 2015"
Fercu made five tackles and one turnover and ran for a team high of 46 metres against Les Bleus, per ESPN Scrum, and he's likely to see a lot of action again, should Ian Madigan look to utilise the high ball.
As one of the few figures in the Romania team based outside their native land, the Saracens 15 faces a heavy burden to provide the last barrier of defence against an Ireland team that was so full of expression in its thrashing of Canada.
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