Alexandru Penciu

Alexandru Penciu (1 November 1932 – 11 August 2023) was a Romanian rugby union player and coach, who played as a fullback or centre. Amongst the best players of all time, he was nicknamed "Alexander the Great" (Alexandru cel Mare) in his home country.[1]

Alexandru Penciu
Date of birth(1932-11-01)1 November 1932
Place of birthBucharest, Romania
Date of death11 August 2023(2023-08-11) (aged 90)
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback, Centre
Youth career
1947 Petrolul București
1947–1950 Locomotiva PTT
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1950–1952 Locomotiva PTT ()
1952–1968 Steaua București ()
1969–1973 Rovigo ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1955–1967 Romania 34 (37)
Coaching career
Years Team
1969–1973 Rovigo (player-coach)
1973–1974 Steaua București (youth)
1974–1976 Rovigo (youth)
1976–1977 Montréal
1977–1978 Oyonnax
1978–1980 Mantova
1980–1981 Villadose
1981–1983 Belluno

Club career

Penciu started his rugby career after the Second World War with Petrolul București as a youth in 1947. In the same year he moved to Locomotiva PPT, where he played from 1947 to 1952, and was promoted to the first team in 1950. He joined CCA, later called CSA Steaua București in 1952, where he would play until 1968. There he won five league titles and four Romanian Cups.

In 1969, Penciu was allowed by the communist authorities to play abroad in Italy. Penciu was a player-coach for Italian side Rovigo. He scored the most points in the Serie A league in 1970-1971 (104 points) and 1971-1972 (124 points).[2]

Penciu retired as a player, in 1973, at the age of 40.

International career

Penciu won 34 caps for Romania, from 1955 to 1967, and scoring 2 conversions, 7 penalties and 4 drop goals, 37 points in aggregate. He debuted on 20 April 1955 in Brno, in a 3–0 win over Czechoslovakia. In June 1960, he played in the first ever win of Romania over France, 11–5, where he scored 1 conversion and 2 drop goals. Romania was then experiencing its first "Golden Era" of rugby and was often considered the best European team outside the Five Nations Championship.

His last international game was on 10 December 1967 in Nantes in the 11–3 defeat against France in the FIRA Nations Cup, where he scored a penalty. It was the second consecutive second-place finish for Romania in the competition, losing twice in a row the title to France, then the only continental European side at the Five Nations Championship.[3]

Coaching career

After retiring as a player, he coached a number of clubs in Canada, France and Italy.[3]

Death

Alexandru Penciu died on 11 August 2023, at the age of 90.[4]

Honours

Club
Steaua Bucharest

International
Romania

See also

References
  1. Henri Garcia (1978). La Fabuleuse Histoire du rugby. O.D.I.L, France.
  2. Francesco Volpe, Paolo Pacitti (2008). Rugby 2009. ZESI, Italia.
  3. "Alexandru cel Mare". Romanian Rugby Federation (in Romanian). 30 December 2009. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  4. "A murit unul din cei mai valoroși sportivi români ai tuturor timpurilor, supranumit 'Alexandru cel Mare'". Stiripesurse. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
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