Costica Mersoiu
Costica Mersoiu (born 30 October 1977) is a Romanian former rugby union international.[1]
| Date of birth | 30 October 1977 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Focșani, Romania | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Born in Focșani, Mersoiu was a back-rower and earned 39 Test caps for Romania, debuting in 2000.[2]
Mersoiu received a two-year prison sentence in 2001 for manslaughter, having beaten to death his mother's live-in lover.[3] Released from prison early for good behaviour, Mersoiu was rehabilitated back into the national team.[4]
At club level, Mersoiu played locally for Steaua Bucarest and won a national title with the team in 2003, after which he competed in France with CA Périgueux and then AS Béziers.[5]
Mersoiu scored a try in Romania's surprise win over Tier 1 team Italy in 2004.[6] Due to injuries, Mersoiu missed both the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups. He served for a period as national captain in 2007 and 2008.[7]
References
- "Kiwi coach bringing Romanians to Hamilton". Stuff. 31 January 2009.
- "Costica Mersoiu a fost arestat". www.rugby.ro (in Romanian). 3 September 2001.
- Kitson, Robert (18 July 2002). "Smith gives Bath an Aussie accent". The Guardian.
- "Romanian international returns after prison spell". ESPN.com. 18 July 2002.
- Basescu, Mirela (14 June 2008). "Costică Mersoiu: „Avem nevoie de un rezultat bun"". Prosport (in Romanian).
- "Romania in surprise win over Italy". The Age. 27 June 2004.
- "Mersoiu s-a operat si rateaza CM de rugby". România Liberă. 11 August 2007.