The 1985–87 FIRA Trophy was the 26th edition of a European rugby union championship for national teams. It was played along two seasons (1985–1986 and 1986–87)
| 1985–87 FIRA Trophy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | 30 October 1985 – 9 May 1987 | ||
| Countries |  France  Italy  Romania  Portugal  Soviet Union  Tunisia | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Champions | France | ||
| Matches played | 30 | ||
| |||
The tournament was won by France, who only awarded caps in the games with Romania. France won nine matches and had a single surprising loss to the Soviet Union (15–9), at home. This was the last FIRA Trophy before the first Rugby World Cup, that took place in 1987. Romania and Italy, who finished at 3rd and 4th places, respectively, were among the nine countries invited to participate. The Soviet Union declined the invitation for political reasons, due to the South Africa membership of IRFB. The African side of Tunisia finished in 5th place and was relegated, managing to defeat twice Portugal and having a surprise win over the strong Romania side (17–15) at home. Portugal lost all their ten games and was also relegated, with his best result being a close loss to Italy abroad by 26–24.
Spain and Netherlands won the Division 2 pools, facing each other in a final won by Spain (28–10).
First division edit
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Table points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| played | won | drawn | lost | for | against | difference | |||
| 1 | France |
10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 277 | 74 | +203 | 28 |
| 2 | Soviet Union |
10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 178 | 98 | +80 | 24 |
| 3 | Romania |
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 186 | 139 | +47 | 22 |
| 4 | Italy |
10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 162 | 123 | +39 | 20 |
| 5 | Tunisia |
10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 91 | 214 | -123 | 16 |
| 6 | Portugal |
10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 111 | 357 | -246 | 10 |
- Tunisia and Portugal relegated to second division
| Point system: try 4 pt, conversion: 2 pt., penalty kick 3 pt. drop 3 pt Click "show" for more info about match (scorers, line-up etc) |
| 20 October 1985 |
| Romania | 16 – 13 | Soviet Union |
| Try: Paraschiv Pen: Nastase (4) | Try: Tikhonov Con: Mironov Pen: Mironov (2) |
| Dinamo Stadium, Bucharest Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Y. Peytavin |
| 10 November 1985 |
| Soviet Union | 15 – 13 | Italy |
| Try: Mironov Con: Mironov (2) Pen: Mironov | Try: Ghizzoni Pen: Bettarello (2) Drop: Bettarello |
| Fili Stadium Moscow Attendance: 3,500 Referee: René Bourquet |
| 7 December 1985 | Italy
|
19 – 3 | Romania
|
Stadio Tommaso Fattori, L'Aquila | |
| Try: Appiani, Bettarello, Morelli Con: Bettarello 2 Pen: Bettarello |
Pen: Ion |
Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Y.Bressy
| |||
| Italy: 15.Luigi Troiani, 14.Massimo Mascioletti, 13.Fabio Gaetaniello, 12.Sergio Zorzi, 11.Serafino Ghizzoni, 10.Stefano Bettarello, 9.Alessandro Fusco, 8.Giuseppe Artuso, 7.Sergio Appiani, 6.Marzio Innocenti (cap.), 5.Antonio Colella, 4.Mauro Gardin, 3.Guido Rossi, 2.Giorgio Morelli, 1.Giancarlo Cucchiella | |||||
| Romania: 15.Alexandru Marin, 14.R. Voinov, 13.Adrian Lungu, 12.Stefan Tofan, 11.N. Copil, 10.Vasile Ion, 9.Mircea Paraschiv, 8.Florica Murariu, 7.Cristian Raducanu, 6.M. Giucal, 5.S. Galan, 4.Laurentiu Constantin, 3.P. Petrisor, 2.Marin Mot, 1.Ion Bucan – replacements: 16.Stelian Podarascu | |||||
| 8 February 1986 |
| Italy | 18 – 4 | Tunisia |
| Try: Bettarello Con: Bettarello Pen: Bettarello (4) | Try: Meouhachi |
| Stadio Comunale Mario Battaglini, Rovigo Referee:  Jourko |
| 15 February 1986 |
| France A1 | 18-0 | Italy |
| Try: Lagisquet, Rodriguez, Lorieux Con: Sallefranque (3) |
| Parc des Sports, Annecy Referee:  Jim Fleming |
| 12 April 1986 | France
|
25 – 13 | Romania
|
Stade Nord Lille, Villeneuve-d'Ascq | |
| Try: Erbani, Lagisquet, Sella Bonneval, Charvet Con: Laporte Pen: Laporte |
Try: David, Hodorca Con: Ignat Pen: Ignat |
Attendance: 14,951 Referee: C.Waldrom 
| |||
| France: 15.Serge Blanco, 14.Jean-Baptiste Lafond, 13.Philippe Sella, 12.Denis Charvet, 11.Eric Bonneval, 10.Guy Laporte, 9.Pierre Berbizier, 8.Jean-Luc Joinel, 7.Dominique Erbani, 6.Eric Champ, 5.Jean Condom, 4.Francis Haget, 3.Jean-Pierre Garuet-Lempirou, 2.Daniel Dubroca (cap.), 1.Philippe Marocco – replacements: 16.Patrice Lagisquet, 17.Thierry Picard | |||||
| Romania: 15.Liviu Hodorca, 14.Marcel Toader, 13.Adrian Lungu, 12.Vasile David, 11.Gheorghie Varzaru, 10.Gelu Ignat, 9.Teodor Coman, 8.Stefan Constantin, 7.M. Giucal, 6.Florica Murariu (cap.), 5.Gheorghie Caragea, 4.Laurentiu Constantin, 3.Vasile Pascu, 2.Marin Mot, 1.Florea Opris – replacements: 16.R. Voinov | |||||
| 13 April 1986 |
| Italy | 26 – 24 | Portugal |
| Try: Gaetaniello, Lorigiola, Mascioletti, Venturi Con: Bettarello (2) Pen: Bettarello (2) | Try: Ferreira, Malo Con: Queimado (2) Pen: Queimado (4) |
| Campo Carlo Quaresima, Jesi Referee:  Vasilica |
| 17 May 1986 |
| Portugal | 3 – 29 | Soviet Union |
| Pen: Queimado | Try: Mironov (2), Samardin, Tikhonov, Borisov Con: Mironov (3) Drop: Nechaev |
| Municipal Stadium, Barreiro |
| 18 October 1986 |
| Romania | 43 – 7 | Portugal |
| Try: Bucan, Lungu, Tofan, Popescu (5) Con: Nastase (4) Pen: Nastase | Try: Queimado Pen: Queimado |
| Stadionul Giulesti, Birlad Attendance: 5,000 Referee: H. Vilatte |
| 18 October 1986 |
| Tunisia | 9 – 22 | Italy |
| Try: Ferjani Con: Buoghanmi Pen: Buoghanmi | Try: Artuso, Osti Con: Bettarello Pen: Bettarello (3) Drop: Bettarello |
| Menzel Bourguiba Referee:  Roelands |
| 23 October 1986 | Romania
|
3 – 20 | France
|
Stadionul Giulesti, Bucharest | |
| Pen: Nastase |
Try: Andrieu, Berot, Blanco Con: Berot Pen: Berot 2 |
Attendance: 8,000 Referee:  Dave Bishop
| |||
| Romania: 15.Gheorghe Florea, 14.Cornel Popescu, 13.Adrian Lungu, 12.Ștefan Tofan, 11.Marcel Toader, 10.V. Nastase, 9.S. Seceleanu, 8.Laurentiu Constantin, 7.Haralambie Dumitras, 6.Ioan Doja, 5.Gheorghie Caragea, 4.Gheorghie Dumitru, 3.Gheorghie Corneliu, 2.Mircea Munteanu (cap.), 1.Florea Opris – replacements: 16.Gheorghe Ion | |||||
| France: 15.Serge Blanco, 14.Philippe Berot, 13.Philippe Sella, 12.Eric Bonneval, 11.Marc Andrieu, 10.Jean-Patrick Lescarboura, 9.Pierre Berbizier, 8.Alain Carminati, 7.Laurent Rodriguez, 6.Eric Champ, 5.Jean Condom, 4.Alain Lorieux, 3.Jean-Pierre Garuet-Lempirou, 2.Daniel Dubroca (cap.), 1.Herve Chabowski | |||||
| 16 November 1986 |
| Italy | 14 – 16 | Soviet Union |
| Try: Ghizzoni, Collodo, Innocenti Con: Bettarello | Try: Mironov Pen: Mironov (3) Drop: Mironov |
| Stadio Marassi, Genova Referee: P. Frantschi |
| 18 January 1987 |
| Portugal | 3 – 41 | Italy |
| Pen: Queimado | Try: Colella, Collodo, Cuttitta, Gardin, Ghizzoni, penalty try Con: Troiani (4) Pen: Troiani (2) Drop: Collodo |
| Lisbon University Stadium, Lisbon Referee: P. Frantschi |
| 22 February 1987 |
| Italy | 6 – 22 | France A1 |
| Pen: Troiani Drop: Collodo | Try: Bonal, Cabannes, penalty try Con: Sallefranque (2) Pen: Sallefranque (2) |
| Stadio Plebiscito, Padua Referee:  L. J. Peard |
| 12 April 1987 | Romania
|
9 – 3 | Italy
|
Stade 1. May, Constanța | |
| Pen: Alexandru (3) |
Pen: Bettarello |
Attendance: 2,000 Referee: JC Yche
| |||
| Romania: 15.Vasile Ion, 14.Marcel Toader, 13.Adrian Lungu, 12.Ștefan Tofan, 11.Liviu Hodorca, 10.Dumitru Alexandru, 9.Mircea Paraschiv, 8.Ene Necula, 7.Haralambie Dumitras, 6.Florica Murariu, 5.Laurentiu Constantin, 4.Stefan Constantin, 3.Gheorghe Leonte, 2.Emilian Grigore, 1.Ion Bucan – replacements: 16.Cristian Raducanu | |||||
| Italy: 15.Daniele Tebaldi, 14.Serafino Ghizzoni, 13.Oscar Collodo, 12.Stefano Barba, 11.Marcello Cuttitta, 10.Stefano Bettarello, 9.Fulvio Lorigiola, 8.Gianni Zanon, 7.Giuseppe Artuso, 6.Marzio Innocenti (cap.), 5.Franco Berni, 4.Mauro Gardin, 3.Tito Lupini, 2.Antonio Galeazzo, 1.Guido Rossi | |||||
| 25 April 1987 |
| Soviet Union | 12 – 13 | Romania |
| Pen: Mironov, Dzagnidze (3) | Try: Marin Pen: Alexandru (2) Drop: Alexandru |
| Lokomotivi Stadium, Tbilisi Attendance: several thousand in rain Referee: Yves Bressy |
| 29 April 1987 |
| Soviet Union | 9 – 6 | Tunisia |
| Pen: Dzagnidze (3) | Pen: Boughamni (2) |
| Central Stadium, Kutaisi Attendance: 15 thousand Referee: Giovanni Campanile |
| 9 May 1987 |
| Soviet Union | 50 – 6 | Portugal |
| Try: Mironov, Nechaev (2), Sokolov, Korolev (2), Vorapaev, Tikhonov, Medved Con: Dzagnidze (7) | Pen: Queimado (2) |
| Kharkov |
Second division edit
Pool A edit
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Table points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| played | won | drawn | lost | for | against | difference | |||
| 1 | Spain |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 158 | 40 | +118 | 16 |
| 2 |  Poland |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 95 | 100 | -5 | 12 |
| 3 |  Morocco |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 42 | 76 | -34 | 10 |
| 4 |  West Germany |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 116 | -79 | 10 |
Pool B edit
| Place | Nation | Games | Points | Table points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| played | won | drawn | lost | for | against | difference | |||
| 1 |  Netherlands |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 52 | +31 | 16 |
| 2 |  Czechoslovakia |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 128 | 51 | +77 | 14 |
| 3 | Belgium |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 62 | -18 | 10 |
| 4 |  Sweden |
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 120 | -90 | 8 |
Final edit
- Spain promoted to division 1
Bibliography edit
- (in Italian) Francesco Volpe, Valerio Vecchiarelli (2000), 2000 Italia in Meta, Storia della nazionale italiana di rugby dagli albori al Sei Nazioni, GS Editore (2000) ISBN 88-87374-40-6.
- (in Italian) Francesco Volpe, Paolo Pacitti (Author), Rugby 2000, GTE Gruppo Editorale (1999).