CSM Știința Baia Mare, commonly referred to as Știința Baia Mare (), is a Romanian professional rugby union club based in Baia Mare that competes in the Liga de Rugby Kaufland, Romania's top division of rugby.
History Originally founded in 1977 as Racemin Baia Mare, Știința Baia Mare quickly rose to prominence in the Romanian rugby scene. Despite encountering formidable competition from clubs such as Steaua București and Dinamo București, Baia Mare solidified its position as a dominant force in the Romanian rugby championship.
The pinnacle of their early success came in the 1980–81 season when they clinched their first tournament victory, the Romanian Cup, in a thrilling match against Dinamo București, which left the local fans in Baia Mare ecstatic. Building on this momentum, Baia Mare secured their inaugural Romanian championship in the 1989–90 season, during what is often regarded as the golden era of Romanian rugby throughout the 1980s.
However, sustaining their initial success proved challenging, and Baia Mare experienced a period of fluctuating fortunes. They managed to add two more Romanian Cup trophies to their cabinet in 1990 and 1999, respectively, but significant championship titles eluded them until 2009 when they clinched their second championship title, two decades after their first.
In the subsequent years, Știința Baia Mare regained their dominance in Romanian rugby, winning the championship four times within the last decade. However, unlike in previous years, they faced stiff competition from USV Timișoara during their championship campaigns.
Honours Domestic Leagues Liga de Rugby Kaufland Winners (10): 1989–90, 2008–09, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021, 2022, 2025 Runners-up (8): 1987–88, 1990–91, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2023
Cups Cupa României Winners (6): 1980–81, 1989–90, 1998–99, 2010, 2012, 2020 Runners-up (13): 1981–82, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1999–2000, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017–18, 2021 Cupa Regelui Winners (2) – Record: 2016, 2017 Runners-up (1): 2015
Continental Central and Eastern European Rugby Union Cup Winners (2) – Record: 2009–10, 2010–11
Current squad Știința Baia Mare Liga de Rugby Kaufland squadProps Mihai Dico Revazi Dugladze Costel Grămadă Robert Hîncu Ciprian Sălceanu James Scott Sandro Zubashvili
Hookers Robert Irimescu Levan Papidze Tristan Trollip
Locks Mate Dardzulidze Nugzar Gelashvili Silviu Grădinaru Ștefan IancuBack row Alexandru Alexe Beka Bitsadze Nicolaas Immelman (c) Florian Roșu Andrei Schutz
Scrum-halves Vlăduț Bocăneț Luka Dvalishvili Alexandru Țiglă
Fly-halves Andrei Bucșa Alexandru Harasim Mihai Mureșan Luca Nichitean Nikau McGregor Miles GrantCentres Anelka Barends Sione Fakaʻosilea Jason Tomane
Wings Mihai Lămboiu Darin Onț Taliaʻuli Sikuea
Fullbacks Kefentse Mahlo Paul Popoaia (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Romania on residency or dual nationality.
Coaching staff NameNationalityRoleSilviu DumaManagerEugen ApjokHead coachPaul RusuAssistant coachIonuț PopStrength and conditioning coachMarius PerideTeam doctorCodrin DespeaMasseur
See also Rugby union in Romania
References
External links Liga de Rugby Kaufland Squad Details